I'll Never Leave
by Soffaa
Summary: 25 years ago Alaric got a woman pregnant after a one night stand. What happens when Alaric develops a dark alter ego that's killing founding council members? What happens when he can't see a way out of it and asks his daughter to come to Mystic Falls for maybe the last time? Now on Season 4
1. Chapter 1: 1912

**Bio**

Names: Ivy Saltzman

Species: Human - Vampire

Appearance: Shoulder length wavy ginger hair, blue eyes, full lips, slim with curves.

Father: Alaric Saltzman – Matt Davis

Mother: Brooke Hart – Debra Messing

Age: Slightly older than Bonnie, Caroline and Elena – Was turned at the age of 23

Background:

Ivy is Alaric's daughter from when he had a one-night stand with her mum, Brooke, before he met and married Isobel. Alaric was fully supportive as he believed this would be his only chance. Brooke and Alaric agreed to be friends for the sake of their baby and parenting.

When Ivy was younger Brooke moved her and Ivy away due to Alaric knowing about the supernatural. Alaric tried to convince Brooke that nothing would happen and that he would protect them. But she still moved her and Ivy away.

Ivy has been with Brooke ever since but has visited Alaric regularly. Since she got older, she would stay with Alaric for summers at a time.

I wanted Ivy to be older to help with Elena and Jeremy when Alaric dies. She was turned some time during season 1 and was 23 at the time. She has visited Mystic Falls before so has a good relationship with most of the characters. I imagine she visited in the summer in season 2 so she has met Stefan and Damon. I'm unsure about her endgame yet but we'll find out as we go along.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: 1912**

Alaric couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was the one committing the murders.

He was using his own vampire hunting weapons to kill innocent humans.

Innocents.

He sat in silence next to Meredith, staring at the ring on his finger that caused this mess. The ring given to him by his crazy evil ex-wife to protect him in the supernatural world, unknown to him at the time.

Seems about right. Alaric thought to himself.

He heard footsteps on the wooden floor. His head shot up to see Elena standing in the doorway looking at him with sadness in her eyes. He let out a breath and shut his eyes gently. He couldn't look at her when she was staring at him with such pity. He didn't want her to be here for this. She had already lost too much; she couldn't lose another parent figure. The temptation to escape and deal with this on his own was increasing by the second.

"Elena" he sighed.

"Ric, I think she's right" she said gently showing him the Samantha Gilbert journal. He sat up and accepted the journal to read. His eyes scanned the page and seemed to read the same sentence again and again: 'I don't feel like myself. I'm losing time. As though I'm going mad.' That's exactly how he was feeling. Looking up from the book, he couldn't see any way out of this. He knew that the darkness was slowly taking over to the point of becoming him.

"Elena, I need you to call Ivy." Alaric stated almost with a pleading tone. Elena knelt in front of him.

"Ric, we'll find a way out of this" Elena said as she placed her hands on his. Ric looked down at their hands, his eyes going straight to the Gilbert ring.

"Please" he almost shouts as he made eye contact with her. "I need you to call her." He almost begged.

Elena nodded, standing up to make the phone call. She went into the kitchen to give Meredith and Alaric some privacy.

Entering the kitchen, she leant against the wall to stabilize herself. As she went to grab the phone, she noticed her hands were shaking. She started to dial the number of Alaric's daughter. Trying to figure out what to say to her without freaking her out.

How do you explain all this to someone who has no idea about the supernatural world?

* * *

Ivy was bouncing around the kitchen to David Bowie blaring from her speakers. Her wavy ginger hair was tied up in a messy bun with some strands falling out as her dancing continued. Her bare face making faces as she sang along to Modern Love. Sliding around in a pack of socks and an old pair of dungarees, the kind that you don't go out in public in.

"Never going to fall for...modern love" she sings into the spoon. "Walks beside me". Her phone started to ring through the speakers, but she continues singing. "Walks on by."

She picks up her phone to see Elena calling. "Elena, hi" she says in a cheery tune whilst continuing to cook. Her demeanour changed when she heard Elena sigh on the other end of the phone. She stood up straighter, almost bracing herself "Elena?".

"Ivy, it's about Ric. You need to come to Mystic Falls." Ivy's face drops.

"Dad? Is he okay?"

"He'll tell you when you get here, it's better to explain in person." Ivy decided not to argue because she knew she wouldn't get anywhere.

"Okay" Ivy sighs and rubbed her forehead in frustration. "I'll leave right now, and I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Be careful Ives, see you soon." Elena hung up. Ivy puts her phone down and turns off the oven. No longer hungry. She starts panicking and all the worst-case scenarios going through her head. She braces herself on the counter to take a deep breath and rest for a beat.

Then it hits her.

The smell.

The aroma hits her nostrils instantly, as if her body is telling her that this is the only way for her to calm down. She feels like she can already taste the rusty tang on the tip of her tongue. She doesn't want to but now she knows it's there and the thought won't escape her mind. It would only take a couple of steps to get to them. Without realising she's doing it; her feet are already moving.

She walks towards the sink and opens the cupboard underneath to reveal a blue mini fridge. She kneels to open the fridge to show several blood bags. She can see her hands shaking as she slowly reaches for one. As soon as her fingers graze the plastic bag, she snatches it with speed and rips it open. Ivy sucked the contents of the bag with extreme thirst. She fell against the island behind her in exhaustion.

She took several breaths to calm herself and to slow her heart down. Just sitting there, focusing on the feel of the cold wooden cabinet door against the back of her neck. Trying to distract herself, to almost forget what she had just done.

Her eyes slowly widen.

She must tell her dad. She must tell her dad that she's a vampire.

Oh god! She thinks as she hung her head between her knees.

She's known for a while that her dad was aware of the supernatural world. When she was in her late teens, her mum finally told her the reason she left Ric. Of course, this was after years and years of questions and pleas from the young curious girl.

Alaric informed her mother of the paranormal and his interest in it. Her mum was hesitant at first but the more she thought about it, the more she believed. She also believed that leaving was the answer to protecting her little girl.

But their fears slowly became a reality.

Her fear was telling her vampire hunting dad that she was a vampire. She knew all about his vampire crazed ex-wife. The ex-wife that turned him into the vampire hunter that he is today. Oh, how she loathed Isobel and what she did to her dad.

She was hoping that because the transition was involuntary, he would be a bit more accepting. Ivy also realised that she was going to have to retell the story of her transition. She was would have to talk about him.

Him.

It's been almost two years, she still misses him, but he invades her mind less.

She removed a chain from underneath her shirt and looked at the ring on the necklace. The vampire closed her hand around it and brought it to her chest. Almost two years since that night and she still wears it close to her heart.

The red head finally got up from the floor to go into her bedroom to pack a bag or two. She changed into a pair of black skinny jeans, a grey v neck t-shirt and her black biker boots for comfort. After packing she exited the bedroom and goes into the kitchen again. She placed her bags by the door as she looked around her open plan bungalow. Her first little paradise after moving out of her mother's house. She hated leaving this place. It felt like her own personal bubble protecting her from the outside world. Protecting her from her vampire truth.

She took in every inch of the little house until her eyes fell on the cupboard hiding her secret. She figures she can just get some blood bags on the way or in Mystic Falls. Trying to convince herself that she doesn't need to go anywhere near that little reminder. Knowing she would down all the bags with the panicked mood she was in.

She takes a breath before grabbing her bags. Exiting the little house and heading to her car before leaving for Mystic Falls.


	2. Chapter 2: Break On Through

**Chapter 2 – Break on Through**

Ivy had been sat, in her old cherry red mustang, outside the Gilbert residence for the last hour. She was tired from driving most of the night. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she found out what was wrong with her dad. At least she managed to shower and change her clothes before visiting her dad. She was dressed in a red Henley shirt, black skinny jeans, her biker boots and a leather jacket like her dads.

She was trying to find the courage to knock on the door, but the thoughts going around her head were consuming her. She expected the news to be a lot less severe that the scenarios playing in her head.

She looked in the flip down mirror to check her light make up and wavy her before she composed herself. She exited the car then made her way up to the house. Before she got a chance to knock, Elena opened the door, which in turn made her jump.

Ivy stumbled back a bit and put her hand over her heart. "Shit" she breathed out. Elena tried not to laugh and stepped forward to hug the older woman.

"I'm sorry Ives" Ivy accepted the hug from Elena, as she used the nickname that Ivy was used to hearing by now. Ivy didn't really know how to react. She was happy to see Elena, she was like a little sister to her. But under the circumstances, she felt like their normal cheery introductions were a bit too much.

"It's okay" the red head chuckled slightly as she pulled away. She looked at Elena to try and gauge how serious the unknown issue was. But she couldn't read Elena's facial expression. The girls were staring at each other for a beat before the sound of incoming footsteps broke the silence.

Ivy looked behind Elena to see her dad walking towards the door. He was putting on a khaki green jacket over his grey jumper and looking down at his feet. Elena stood off to one side to let them have their moment.

"Hi dad" Ivy spoke softly, trying not to spook him. Alaric's head shot up at the sound of her voice and a smile started to grow. Ivy always found that her father's smiles were infectious. His shoulders seemed to relax as soon as he saw her.

"Hey kiddo" Alaric spoke with a hint of relief in his voice. He strode towards his daughter and enveloped her in a bear hug. The young Saltzman felt all her troubles drift away as she hugged her dad back. She felt so warm, safe and almost like she was home. She pulled back to look at her dad, keeping a hold on him, and chuckled.

"Dad, I'm 25 now. I'm not a kiddo."

"You'll always be my kiddo" Alaric tilted his head to one side as he spoke. Ivy nodded proudly.

"Yes. Yes, I will and you're very lucky." She released him from her hold. "To have me. That was made clear, right?" She smiled as he nodded and laughed in return.

Elena took a timid step forward and cleared her throat to gain the Saltzmans attention. They both looked towards her. Alaric's expression changed remembering where they were going.

"Right. We were leaving actually." He spoke hesitantly pointing between him and Elena. Ivy's eyebrows raised, she immediately felt as if she was intruding.

"Oh, well I could go to the Grill and wait?" She suggested. She noticed Elena give Alaric a disapproving look and a small nudge.

Alaric was going to ask her to come to the MRI scan with him, more for comfort than anything else. But he was scared. He was scared that if they didn't find something then this would all become a reality even more. Also, that he could potentially even harm his own daughter.

He started to think if asking her to come here was a bad idea. But then...

Then he looked at her and knew that she needed him as much as he needed her.

He shook his head and looked her in the eyes.

"No, you should come with us." He took a beat. "We are going to the hospital to meet a friend of mine." He chickened out but what he said had some truth to it. They were going to meet Meredith at the hospital to try and get some answers to all this.

"Oh sure, yeah, let's go." She turned around and walked back out the door. Missing the worried looks Elena and Alaric gave each other.

* * *

Ivy was standing in the room with her father whilst he was lying down on an MRI couch, ready to be scanned. The red head's face almost matched the colour of her hair. She was furious, and no one was telling her what was going on.

She watched as Meredith and Elena talked in the control, wishing she could lip read. They didn't look panicked or worried, but she believed they were masking their emotions for her sake. The sound of their steady heart beats was getting louder in her ears.

Alaric watched his daughter as she looked anywhere but him. He grabbed her hand before she has a chance to move it. Ivy's eyes met his and he could see the anger but also the worry. He wanted to say something to calm her down. He wanted to apologise but what do you say to your daughter whilst you're lying down on an MRI couch?

In that moment, she turned into his little girl again. Her curly ginger hair going in different directions, unable to control it yet. Blocking the view of her blue-green eyes and her small freckled nose. Her bottom full lip trembling, Alaric just wanting to hold her to protect her from everything. She was looking so lost, like a child who lost their parent in a supermarket. He wanted to tell her everything but now was not the right time. He could see she was having the same problem, as he saw her lips moved to express her emotions, but nothing came out.

"Dad, what's going on? Please tell me" she quietly begged to him.

"Ivy, once we get home, I'll explain everything to you but right now it's just routine." Alaric felt stupid in his response.

"Okay Alaric, we're ready now." Meredith's voice broke the silence in the room. Ivy nodded to herself and bent down to her dad's level.

"I'll be right in there." Ivy pointed to the control room that Meredith and Elena were currently in. She gave her dad's hand a gently squeezed and bent over him to kiss his forehead, trying to reassure them both. She dropped Alaric's hand and exited the room to join the two women.

When the door opened to the control room, Elena and Meredith stopped talking and gave Ivy a small smile. Ivy went to stand between Elena and Meredith and felt Elena rubbed her back.

"Ivy, this is Dr Fell she's a friend of Alaric's" Elena introduced the woman next to her. Meredith stuck her hand out to shake Ivy's hand, which she accepted. Meredith gave Ivy a sad smile, almost knowing the outcome of this scan.

"Please call me Meredith" the doctor stated softly. They watched the technician slides Alaric into the machine.

"What are you looking for?" Ivy asked the doctor, afraid of the answer.

"I don't know yet. A tumour, vascular anomalies, anything physical that might explain his behaviour." Ivy turned to the doctor with a confused look on her face.

 _His behaviour? He seems fine to me_. Ivy thought to herself whilst looking at her father in the MRI through the small window.

She knew that her father would inform her of what's going on. This conversation was not helping the raising anxiety. The anxiety increased when she saw her father start to panic in the machine.

"Everything alright in there?" Meredith asked over the speaker.

"Yeah. Yeah, everything's okay." Alaric replied unconvincingly.

 _Liar_. Ivy thought to herself

After the scan, Meredith took the three of them to a regular hospital room, so they could get ready to leave. When Ivy entered, she told her dad, she would get him a water.

On her way back, she could hear Elena and Alaric talking inside the room and decided to eavesdrop.

"Meredith says that everything is normal." Elena stated. Ivy let out a sigh of relief and went to head into the room until she heard her father's frustrated reply.

"Yeah, well, everything is normal, because there is nothing wrong with me. I didn't kill Brian Walters, I didn't kill Bill Forbes, and I sure as hell didn't shove a hunting knife into my stomach." Ivy's eyes grew and stopped herself from gasping to not give herself away. "Or I did, and I've gone insane, just like your ancestor who wore that ring."

 _Kill? … Ring?_

"Look, I'm gonna call Bonnie, the rings were made by a Bennett witch. So maybe a witch can reverse the damage" Elena said.

Ivy turned to her left and saw Damon talking to Meredith. She thought now was the best time to make herself known. She walked into the room to see her father pushing that god-awful ring that Isobel gave him, to Elena.

"Everything alright?" She decided to act dumb until she had all the information and handed her father the cup of water. They both nodded as Alaric took a sip from the water to bide him some time before he spoke again.

Luckily for him, Damon entered the room. Damon looked surprised upon seeing Ivy in the room. He looked to Elena to see her shaking her head and understood that as Ivy not knowing the entire truth yet. He leant against the door frame to address the red head.

"Well if it isn't, little Saltzman" Damon stated with that cocky smirk that never left his face. Ivy rolled her eyes at the nickname she was given by the older Salvatore.

"Hi Damon" Ivy replied reluctantly. From the couple of times she had seen Damon, they seemed to establish this love hate relationship. She couldn't deny that he was attractive, and he had allure but then he opened his mouth. She did like the bad boy vibe he gave off. But she could also see the undeniable tension between him and Elena, whether she was with Stefan or not.

"You ready to ditch this House of Horrors? Oof, you look terrible." Elena and Ivy both gave him a hateful look.

"Yeah, let me… let me check outta here." Alaric stated as he went to walk out the room. Ivy saw this as her chance to get away.

"I'll come with you" she jumped up to follow him out. They exited the room into the hallway to go to the nurse's station when Alaric turned to her.

"I don't need a babysitter." She rolled her eyes at her father as he seemed clueless to the uncomfortable atmosphere back in the room.

"I know. I needed to get out of that room." Alaric laughed as he draped his arm around his daughter. "Also, I think we need to talk." Honesty was the best policy she thought. Alaric nodded in agreement.

"Once we are at home, we will talk."

"Is this a talk that needs bourbon?" Alaric looked at her with a small smile on her face and kissed her forehead before replying.

"You're definitely my kid." She smiled at the comment as Alaric removed his arm to check out.

* * *

After making a quick stop at Wickery Bridge, Meredith, Alaric and Ivy finally arrived at the Gilbert House. None of them spoke a word as they made their way through the door and into the kitchen. The tension was thick in the room due to the incoming explanation. They stood around the table, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"Well, I think that's my cue to leave." Meredith said, knowing it was best to keep this conversation in the family. She turned to leave but Alaric grabbed her wrist before she could leave.

"No, I think you could help out" he hoped that Meredith would stay. She nodded silently knowing this was a bad decision. Alaric took a seat at the head of the Gilbert diner table with the women on either side of him. Ivy took off her leather jacket and put it on the chair behind her to prepare herself. Ivy was silently watching her father and would sometimes look at Meredith for any kind of clue. She placed her hands on the table as if to steady herself, in case she couldn't handle the conversation.

Alaric turned his body to the left to better face his daughter. He placed his hand on his daughters and moved this thumb to stroke her hand reassuringly. When he looked down at their hands, he noticed her engagement ring was missing.

He swallowed before beginning to explain the recent ordeal. He started at the beginning. He explained that the supernatural was real. She didn't flinch, just nodding in understanding.

She sat silently and nodded in the right places as he explained the power of the Gilbert ring. As she listened to her father, she realised that this was the ring that Isobel gave him. She tuned out planning all the ways she could kill her. He then went on to explain what was happening recently.

"There have been murders in Mystic Falls and not of the supernatural kind. Well, we thought at least. The kills were made using my vampire hunting weapons. I have hidden them around the house and my apartment. I was cleared of being a suspect when Elena found me here, after being stabbed with my own hunting knife." He explained as Ivy looked at him in panic.

"Dad …" she started by Alaric stopped her to continue.

"I asked Elena to kill me because it would be a supernatural death. That meant that the Gilbert ring would bring me back." Ivy looked confused at her father. "Elena is a doppelganger which is a double of another living person. In this case, her doppelganger is a vampire called Katherine Pierce."

Ivy felt like she stopped breathing.

 _They know Katherine?_ She thought to herself whilst trying to keep her facial expression, neutral.

"The ring brought me back but, in a way, … uh … made things worse." Alaric sighed, getting to the hard part. He looked to Meredith for help as she knew a bit more of the subject. She met his eyes, she reached into her bag to pull out his file and placed it on the table in front of them. She slid the file to Ivy, so she could look at it.

"I got a hold of the diary of a woman named Samantha Gilbert. She's an ancestor of Elena and Jeremy. She inherited one of the Gilbert rings to prevent her from dying of supernatural causes. In the diary she describes the effects that the ring has had on her after dying several times. She was murdering founding family members, but she didn't know it. She couldn't recall periods of time and had no idea of her actions. Unfortunately, the more she was killed, the more this 'alter ego' appeared."

Ivy believed she understood what the two of them were saying.

"And, this is what's happening to my dad?" She asked with slight hope in her voice that she was wrong.

"We think so." Meredith said gently.

"When did you start to suspect my dad of … of killing these people?"

"It was after he told me about the ring. I remembered a story my grandmother had told me about Samantha Gilbert." Meredith glanced at Alaric and then turned back to Ivy. "When I first met your dad, I felt like … I don't know, I- I just kind of wanted to help him and that's what I plan on doing." Ivy smiled softly at the young doctor.

Ivy turned to her father with such sadness in her eyes and could see nothing by guilt in his. She wasn't sad that he was committing these murders, because she knew he couldn't help it. She was sad that this was happening to her dad, an amazing man. She watched as he hung his head in shame not looking to look at either of them. The red head took a beat to come up with anything that could comfort her father. She knew that the guilt he felt was eating him up inside.

Ivy put her hand under his chin and raised his head.

"Dad … It's not your fault that these murders are happening. It's not you! You are an amazing and selfless man, who wouldn't kill innocent people. You did what any other person would do to keep from dying. We are going to figure out a way to help you and you're going to be Alaric again. You're going to be my dad again." She saw his face relax and decided in that moment that she wouldn't tell him that she was a vampire yet. She reached over to hug him and felt his shoulders sag. The father and daughter pulled away from each other and smiled. She needed to distract him, to give him one night where he could have fun and knew just the thing.

Ivy slapped the tops of her thighs and got up from her chair.

"But for right now, I'm going to go to the Grill to get some burgers and possibly some nice bourbon." She nudged her father who chuckled at his daughter's antics. "Then I'm going to come back here, and we are going to watch some ridiculous comedy films. Or I'll tell Meredith all the embarrassing stories I know about you."

"Please don't" Alaric begged.

"Please do!" Meredith said happily as she watched Ivy try to cheer up her dad. She put on her jacket and walked backwards towards the door.

"For one night we will have some fun. I'll be back with food and alcohol." She declared as she exited the house ready to hang out with her dad.

Meredith chuckled at his daughter as she got up to grab an already opened bottle of whiskey and two glasses. "I like her" she said as she walked back to the time. She placed the bottle and glasses on the table as Alaric grabbed the file to read. Meredith began pouring the whiskey.

"Yeah, she's a good kid. Just wish I could see her a more, but she lives in Florida with her mother." He grabbed a glass whilst his eyes scanned the file.

"I really don't think you should be looking through that stuff." Meredith took a seat next to him at the table.

"Ah, it' the truth, restraining orders and all. My life in a series of police reports."

"You don't strike me as angry guy. Which sounds weird, given everything, but you don't." Alaric smiled slightly at the comment.

"Yeah, well I was stupid when I was younger. But, listen, it's not like these guys didn't have it coming. I mean, this guy here, broke a beer bottle over a bartender's head." He flicked through the file. "This guy hit his girlfriend. This guy, okay, this guy was just a douche." They both chuckled. "Everyone needs to find a way to deal with their dark side. Some people meditate. I- I became a vampire hunter." Meredith nodded as they continued the conservation waiting for Ivy, the food and more alcohol.

* * *

Ivy lost track of time at the Grill as she caught up with Matt and that Lockwood kid. She realised she had been gone for an hour and drove back home. She walked up the steps to the Gilbert's when her vampire hearing heard signs of a struggle. She quickly entered the house to see Stefan crouched over her father. Her eyes met Elena's who was standing by the stairs looking scared. She dropped the bag on the floor. The sound of the paper bag hitting the floor, made Stefan and Elena turn to face her.

"What are you doing?!" She exclaimed with panic in her voice. Elena stood in front of her to try and block the view with the help of Stefan who was now behind her.

"Ivy, it's … uh … Stefan was just..." Elena looked at Stefan for help on how to explain the current situation. Ivy realised that they didn't know that she knew about her dad's alter ego.

"It's not **him** , is it?" She hoped that the emphasis got her point across.

"You know?" Ivy nodded in reply. Elena breathed a sigh of relief, not having to keep a secret anymore

No longer distracted by her dad, the smell invaded her nostrils. She could also hear someone upstairs.

The smell.

It was fresh and there was a lot. It seemed like Stefan could hear and smell it too as he had the same reaction.

"Uh Elena, I need you to come upstairs with me." Stefan moved towards the stairs. Ivy didn't know what to do and didn't know if she could be around that much blood. But she knew that she needed to help, which was outweighing her selfish mind.

"It must be Meredith. She was looking after dad before I left." Ivy realised she probably just gave herself away. Stefan hadn't said anything about the blood or the noises upstairs. Elena looked between the two vampires, scared and confused. She inched towards Stefan slowly.

"Why?"

"I'm gonna need your help. Ivy, stay here with Alaric." Ivy nodded as they made their way upstairs. Ivy crouched down to check over her dad. She pushed her wavy hair behind her ear to let her hear what was going on upstairs. It sounded like she was right about Meredith and that she was badly hurt.

Not long later, Stefan came running down the stairs and out the front down, ignoring Ivy and Alaric. Ivy looked between the front door and upstairs. She decided that she needed to see how bad it was, even if that meant exposing herself. She vamped up the stairs and followed the smell to the bathroom.

She opened the door to see Elena holding Meredith, who was pale and weak from the blood loss. The blood was everywhere, painting the whole room crimson. She had never seen this much blood before and it smelt so good. Before she could stop herself, she felt her face start to change. The black veins protruding from beneath her eyes.

She heard a small gasp when her face changed and forgot that Elena was in the room as she was so focused on the blood. She looked to Elena with panic in her eyes. Ivy crouched down beside Meredith and went to bite into her wrist. Elena shook her head.

"Stefan already gave her some blood." Ivy nodded slightly, looking worried about Meredith. "She's going to be okay." Ivy noticed Elena's eyes hadn't moved off her.

"I know … I know. I-I'm going to tell him, Elena. I was going to tell him tonight, but all this happened." the vampire softly spoke, gesturing to the room. Meredith started to stir, the colour coming back to her face.

"Could you take her downstairs and I'll clean up the bathroom?" Elena moved Meredith into Ivy's waiting arms. Ivy carried Meredith out the room and placed her on the sofa in the living room. She moved the hair out of her face and looked down at the blood stain on her light blue shirt. She was placing a blanket over Meredith as Damon came through the front door. Ivy came to meet him in the hallway looking at her subdued dad on the floor.

"Did I miss something?" Damon teased, pointing to Alaric.

Ivy shook her head. "No not really. Just the dark alter ego of my dad attacking his doctor friend or girlfriend. Then your vampire brother healing her with his blood. So … no, you didn't miss anything." Damon's smirk dropped from Ivy's sarcastic tone.

"I don't like your tone, missy."

Ivy rolled her eyes at his lame reply. "Elena's upstairs cleaning the blood in the bathroom." Damon went to move upstairs to see her but stopped when the young Saltzman spoke again. "Can you put my dad in his bed? I don't want him waking up down here." Damon picked up Alaric up like he didn't weigh anything and headed up stairs. Ivy fell against the back of the sofa in exhaustion and couldn't believe the day she had. First, he dad had an evil alter ego and then she exposed her vampire side to Elena.

 _I guess it can only get better._ She thought as she headed into the kitchen to wait for Elena.


	3. Chapter 3: Dawn of The Dead

**Chapter 3: Dawn of the Dead**

The next morning, Alaric woke up in his bed, still dressed, with no memory of how he got in it. He laid there for a beat, trying to remember the last thing he could recall from last night. All he could think of was giving Elena all his personal information whilst waiting for Ivy to get back. He sat up quickly thinking about his daughter and wondered if he had hurt her when his alter ego appeared. He glanced to his left to see Damon sat in the chair next to his bed. He was a bit creeped out at the smirking vampire watching him sleep, but knew it was for good reason. He laid back against his pillows.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alaric moaned in frustration from having woken up.

"Just making sure the witch didn't turn you into a toad or a block of salt. Bonnie did a little spell, it's nothing to worry about, it's something to keep the killer in you at bay." Whilst Damon was talking, Alaric noticed the ache in his left hand. He flexed it to see the damage done and felt a stabbing pain go through his hand.

"Did something happen?" Alaric questioned now looking at Damon.

"Let's just say you've got an alter ego hell-bent on killing Council members. So, we're gonna pack some up some of your stuff, we're gonna go to the loft, for a little bit. You know it's like house arrest." Alaric fully sat up after realising the last person he was with was Meredith after Elena left.

"Wait, where's Meredith?"

"She'll be fine, Ric" Damon tried to calm Alaric down.

"And Ivy?"

"She's downstairs with Elena and Bonnie."

* * *

Ivy had spent the night on the couch after Meredith had left wanting to be at her own apartment. When she got up, she quickly showered and changed into a grey Henley shirt and some black jeans. She could hear Elena and Bonnie talking in the kitchen and didn't want to interrupt them. When it went quiet, she decided to make her entrance. She saw the two girls embracing and hoped she wasn't interrupting something.

"Everything okay in here?" Ivy asked as she slowly walked towards them, still able to make a swift exit if needed. The girls pulled away to look at Ivy and chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, everything is good." Elena picked up the glass container of dry herbs to show Ivy. "Bonnie was dropping these herbs round, they are the binding element of the spell. They should help with Alaric, he needs to take them twice a day."

Ivy's eyes started to tear up at the relief she immediately felt. She raced over to Bonnie and quickly embraced her. "Thank you, Bonnie! Thank you!" Bonnie laughed at her reaction.

"It's okay, anything to help Alaric." Ivy's smile grew, she was so grateful to have people who cared and loved her father almost as much as she does. She walked to the coffee pot, needing some energy after an almost sleepless night.

"Coffee?" The other two girls nodded. Ivy grabbed some mugs, poured the coffee and handed it to the other two. The three stood around the island drinking their coffees. "Have you heard from dad yet?" Bonnie shook her head in response and look at Elena for an answer.

"I think he's up with Damon." Elena replied gesturing to the ceiling. Just as Elena spoke, they could hear footsteps above them and making their way downstairs. "Speak of the devils" the girls looked to the kitchen entrance expecting the boys to come through. Damon walked in smirking followed by a dishevelled looking Alaric.

Ivy's concern for her father was immediately replaced when she saw the state of his hair. "Wow, nice hair dad." She starts to laugh, the other two girls in the room following suit. She chuckles a little bit more when she sees her Dad try to flatten it to no avail. Alaric headed over to the coffee pot to try to wake him up. Ivy watched her dad carefully to make sure that he was okay from last night's incident. As he turned to walk to the island and settle down next to her, she noticed him flexing his left hand. "You okay?" she nodded at his hand. Alaric takes a sip of his coffee before replying to his daughter.

"Yeah, just woke up with an ache." He tried to hide his hand behind his coffee mug.

All the occupants of the room looked at him with pity. Well, except for Damon who just smirked as he leaned on the other side of the island. Before Damon jumped in with a witty remark, Bonnie said goodbye to everyone to go see her mother and Jamie.

Ivy thought now would be the time to tell her father and Elena about her transition into a vampire. It didn't bother her telling Damon as she knew he would find out eventually.

She turned towards her father to start the discussion and saw him looking at her left hand.

"What?" She asked Alaric which seemed to snap him out of his trance. Alaric looked up at his daughter and shook his head.

"Where's your engagement ring? Did something happen between you and Noah?" Her father questioned which lead to Ivy thinking that this was the best time to inform him.

"Actually, dad there's something that I need to tell you." She spoke as she looked at the contents of her mug, avoiding her father's gaze.

Elena and Damon looked at each other awkwardly during the moment between the two Saltzman's. Elena nodded her head to the exit to give the father and daughter some privacy. Damon decided to ignore this subtle gesture to hear what Ivy had to say. They all looked at Ivy which made her anxiety rocket.

"Why don't we sit down?" She made her way towards the table. "Damon, Elena, you guys can stay too." Damon wasted no time in sitting down at the dining table with Alaric and Ivy as Elena slowly joined. Alaric let Ivy sit at the head of the table, with him and Damon sitting on her left and Elena on the right. Alaric looked at his offspring with concern as she stared at her hands. She finally lifted her head and addressed the table.

"Before, I start please don't interrupt because it's hard enough to get this out, okay?" She watched the others nod and glared at Damon trying to force the statement on him. Damon lifted his hands in surrender, knowing this was a serious matter. Ivy took a deep breath, glancing at Elena who nodded in support, before telling her story.

"So about three years ago, I moved out of my mum's house and moved into a placed with my boyfriend Noah. It was about 30 mins away from mum in a little bungalow near the bar I worked at. Everything was going fine until someone new moved to town."

* * *

 _ **FLASHBACK THREE YEARS AGO**_

Ivy was cleaning tables at this old bar she worked at. She loved the place. From the classic rock they would play from an old jukebox to all the patrons that would come in and chat to her. Although the place looked rough and dingy, the atmosphere was exactly the opposite. Not only did she enjoy working at the place, but it was near her house.

She made her way behind the bar with some empty glasses and placed them in the sink. Turning towards the bar she saw a familiar face and was surprised to see her in this bar, let alone Florida.

"Elena?" The redhead asked over the music and the customers talking. The brunette looked up after hearing that name and peered at the woman behind the bar. When Ivy saw her face, she beamed happily at the surprise and made her way round the bar. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?" She embraced Elena who seemed tense and confused at the gesture. Ivy thought it was because they had only spent a couple of weeks together. When she went down to see her dad and met his new girlfriend Jenna. Ivy put her at arm's length, she looked different to how she did in Mystical Falls.

Elena's hair was curled when she normally had it straight and she was showing a lot more skin than normal. She was dressed in a low v neck maroon lace shirt, skinny jeans and black high heeled boots. Her curled bouncy hair framed her face nicely and complemented her smoky eyes.

"It's Ivy? Alaric's daughter?" Elena nodded as recognition graced her face and she smiled at ivy.

"Yes, of course! I'm sorry it's been a long drive."

* * *

 ** _PRESENT DAY_**

"You knew Katherine?" Elena spoke in a surprising tone, noticing the grimace that appeared on Ivy's face.

"Well 'knew', is not the word I would use." She looked at her dad to see how he was doing so far, knowing it was going to get worse. "When she got to the town, she ended up compelling everyone so that she could feed on us and we were none the wiser. She also added a little detail, that we were only aware of her if we were talking to her. If anyone asked us where Katherine Pierce was, we didn't have a clue." Damon looked uncertain at the new information.

"And her new 'home', just so happened to be where you were living?" Damon spoke with an unconvincing tone. Ivy understood Damon's tone as she knew it wasn't a coincidence.

"Tell me about it. Through the months she started to take more of an interest in me and Noah. Then one night it all made sense."

* * *

 _ **FLASHBACK - TWO YEARS AGO**_

Ivy was working at the bar again, dancing to the music as she grabbed the customer's drinks. She handed a woman two beers before drifting down the bar to her boyfriend Noah, who was sat opposite. Noah looked like he belonged in the bar. He had brown shoulder length hair with hazel eyes. He was dressed in a leather jacket, white tee and some worn black jeans. The young man looked like a modern version of James Dean. She loved his long hair, and would run her fingers through it during their nights in.

She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she placed her hands over his. Her eyes going to her new engagement ring on her finger. The ring had a silver band, with a halo setting and a sapphire in the middle. Ivy loved the ring as soon as she saw it, because it was different and had some colour to it. She was beaming, her smile was from ear to ear. She probably looked crazy or like The Joker. Noah lifted himself off the seat and leaned over the bar to give his new fiancé a gentle kiss on the lips. Ivy placed both her hands on either side of his face to try to deepen the kiss. Noah laughed at his fiancé, knowing what this would lead to and they were currently in public. Ivy hung her head, trying to head the blush that had appeared on her cheeks. She peered up at her handsome fiancé.

 _Fiancé_! She couldn't believe it.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so happy and I want to show you." She looked at him with such love in his eyes.

"I'm happy too but we got the rest of our lives to show each other." He wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner but came off a bit more comedic than he wanted to. He jumped as she stood up straighter, realising something.

"I have to go tell my dad!" Before he could say anything, she ran off to go call her dad and tell him the good news. His eyes followed her, laughing at his goofy fiancé as she almost skipped to the back room for privacy. He took a sip of his beer waiting for her to return, when he felt a presence to his right.

"Ahh Katherine, what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked the beautiful brunette as she occupied the stool next to him.

"I just came down to see my favourite couple." She gestures for him to give her his hand and he complied. She gestured for him to take off his jacket which he happily obeyed. She was grateful he was wearing a t-shirt underneath. Totally unfazed by the situation, Noah kept on chatting to the vampire.

"Well my other half has got some exciting news to tell you." Katherine looked intrigued as she went to bite his wrist, but Noah stopped him. "Are you sure you don't want to feed from the neck? You prefer the blood there."

Katherine looked at him in surprise. He was so considerate, but she promised Ivy that she wouldn't feed from his neck as it was an intimate gesture. She didn't want to lose Ivy as a friend, so she complied with her request. "No, I promised Ivy that I would feed from the wrist. Plus, you're so sweet, I don't taste a difference with you." She flirted with him with her mouth a few inches from his wrist, already smelling the blood. She extended her fangs from her gums and pierced the skin. She gently sucked the delicious juice from his vein. Not wanting to get carried away whilst listening to his grunts of pain. After a few minutes she detached herself from his wrist, wiping the blood with the back of her hand. She bit into her own wrist, placing over his lips for him to feed, to help him heal.

"Thank you, sweetness," Katherine took away her wrist as Ivy made her way back to the pair. Ivy saw what was happening, glad that Katherine respected her wishes. Noah smiled at his fiancé and wiped round his mouth after Ivy gestured to hers. Letting him know that he had some blood on his face. Katherine turned to Ivy.

"Where have you been?" Ivy smiled at Noah shyly.

"I was telling my dad the good news." Ivy leaned against the bar, placing her hands on the top of it. Katherine looked confused before noticing the shiny object in her peripheral vision. Katherine gasped in happiness at the attractive couple and leaned over to hug the two of them.

"It's about time." Katherine stated looking at her friends, Noah in particularly.

 _Friends._ She thought as she was happy in a bar with two humans.

She felt almost normal for once. Forgetting that she was running for her life from an Original vampire. Although she had compelled them, she felt very protective and close to the two. She cherished their friendship also envying their love for each other. She hoped to rekindle hers with a certain Salvatore.

"Tell him that. The amount of times I thought it was going to happen."

"I like to keep you on your toes." Noah retorted cheekily. Katherine watched the pair, pretending to make gagging noises at the love fest. Ivy playfully hit Katherine on her arm.

"Hey! If Stefan came here declaring his love for you, you would get sappy too." In that moment, Katherine regretted telling her about her feelings for Stefan.

Katherine rolled her eyes, trying to hide her emotions and slammed her hands on the bar. "Whatever. But now we have cause to celebrate! The three of us need to have drink and go to one of the clubs downtown."

* * *

 ** _Present Day_**

"She compelled you to be friends with her?" Elena asked astonished by the new information.

"Wait … How do you remember being compelled?" Alaric worriedly questioned his daughter. Ivy ignored both questions and continued with her story.

* * *

 _ **Flashback – Two Years ago – Later that night**_

The three amigos stumbled in to Noah and Ivy's little bungalow, laughing and drunk from happiness. The engaged couple were hanging off each other whilst Katherine followed in behind. Holding a bottle of scotch loosely in hand. Noah fell onto the sofa chuckling and dancing to imaginary music. Ivy stumbled over to the kitchen island with Katherine in tow. She looked through cupboards for some glasses to drink more.

"That was one of the best nights, I've had in a while." Noah shouted, which made Katherine and Ivy jump.

"Babe, your shouting!" Ivy laughed as she made her way to Noah with glasses. She fell onto Noah on the sofa and snuggled against him. Katherine took out her phone to play music, so the trio could dance.

Ivy wooed, chugged her scotch back and joined Katherine in her living room to dance. Katherine and Ivy were shaking their hips to the music, laughing and joking with each other. Ivy tried to walk seductively towards Noah, in response Noah got up from the sofa and tried to copy her. Noah broke character ran towards Ivy to pick her up, she wrapped her legs around him and giggled into his neck. Katherine was dancing behind them drinking from the bottle. She watched them, smirking as an idea came into her head.

"Guys, I'm bored. I want to do something exciting." Katherine yelled over the music to draw the attention of the others. Ivy jumped down from Noah and turned to Katherine in intrigue.

"I'm listening…" Ivy closed her eyes slightly trying to make Katherine elaborate. Katherine smiled as she walked slowly towards Ivy. She turned Ivy around to face Noah, who had a very confused smile on his face thinking this was going one way.

Suddenly in a flash, Katherine bit into her wrist and forced Ivy to drink her blood. Ivy's eyes widen at the intrusion and she moaned trying to get Katherine's wrist out of her mouth, but she was too strong. Noah tried to intervene but was pushed back harshly by Katherine. He hit the back of his head on the coffee table. Before he could react, Katherine broke Ivy's neck. The last thing Ivy heard before darkness embraced her was the pained shout of Noah shouting her name.

"IVY! NO!"

* * *

Later that night/morning, Ivy woke up on the floor of the living room with a sharp ache in her neck. She lifted her hand to try and massage her neck, keeping her eyes closed in pain. She slowly opened them to blurry vision, trying to focus on shapes and colours. Ivy slowly lifted her head to see where she was. It was her bungalow. The last thing she remembered was dancing with Katherine, forcing Noah to get up and dance with them.

The red head slowly sat up to see Katherine lounging on her sofa, no sign of Noah anywhere. Katherine looked at Ivy when she heard the groans of the bartender waking up. The brunette vampire flicked her hair as she got up to inspect Ivy.

"It's about time!" Katherine declared as she crouched in front of the other woman on the toe of her expensive black heels. "How are you feeling?" She spoke in a sickly-sweet tone.

"I feel awful. How much did I drink last night?" Ivy reached for Katherine to help her up, experiencing her worst hangover to date. Katherine stabled Ivy, rubbing the mascara from under her eyes and fixing her wild curly hair.

"You went a bit wild." Katherine laughing walking to the kitchen to get Ivy a glass of water. "You had some cocktails at the club, some scotch when you came back here and some of my blood." Ivy nodded slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes but stopped when she heard what Katherine said.

"What?!" Ivy stormed over to Katherine. "Did you just say your blood?" Katherine turned around to face Ivy.

"Yeah, I was bored, and I thought it would be fun." Katherine stated nonchalantly, handing the glass of water to Ivy. Ivy looked at Katherine in shock.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME? And why am I so hungry?" The red head was getting angrier the more Katherine spoke. So, distracted by the new information, she just noticed that Noah was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Noah?!" Ivy was now screaming. Katherine walked round the other side of the island and into their bedroom. She walked back out dragging a bruised, bloodied and weakened Noah behind her. She dropped him on the floor carelessly next to her. Ivy gasped at the sight, going to move towards her fiancé but she stopped.

The aroma.

The sweet-smell raided her nostrils. She began to feel a pain originating from her gums and under her eyes. Her hand slowly rose to her gums to feel what she could only describe as fangs. The sharp tip almost piercing through her skin. She saw her reflection in a mirror and saw a monster looking back at her. The white in her eyes had turned red. Blackened veins were throbbing underneath her eyes as her hunger increased. She turned to Noah in terror, her eyes focused on the droplets of blood dripping from his busted lip.

"Now, this is what you want." Katherine wiped the blood from Noah's lip, bringing it to her mouth and sucking it off. "I fed you my blood, broke your neck and now your transitioning into a vampire." She crouched down to Noah, holding him to her and she looked at Ivy, hoping to tempt her. "All you need to do is feed. Come on, he has the sweetest blood" Katherine spoke as it was the easiest thing in the world. But this was Ivy's fiancé she was talking about. The man she imagined marrying, having a family with and growing old with. She tried to reason with her inner vampire, telling herself that she couldn't do this.

But the hunger! The hunger was outweighing her emotions and her logic. Tears started to fall from her eyes, feeling everything all at once. The hunger was increasing, her emotions were heightened. Even worse, the temptation was getting greater and greater.

She moved resembled a predator stalking towards its prey. She was inches away from Noah now and could see him visibly shaking from fear. He watched her staring at his neck, hearing his fast pulse in her ear. Moving closer to his neck, the want was unavoidable now. Her fangs pierced his skin. Groans of ecstasy from finally tasting the delicious forbidden juice. She felt Katherine stroking her hair as she fed on her fiancé. Ivy's guilt was gone and replaced by selfish desire for his blood. She couldn't stop herself.

Her reality set in when she felt Noah's body go limp in her arms.

* * *

 _ **Present day**_

Tears were streaming down her face as she finished the story and replayed the events of that night again. The pain of draining her fiancé's body of blood, still fresh as if it happened yesterday. Elena looking at Ivy with her own tears pooling in her eyes and threatening to spill. Damon hiding his shock but also understanding what the need to feed can do to you. At this point Alaric didn't know how to react. He was angry that someone had put his daughter through this.

His daughter.

Was she even his daughter anymore? She was a blood sucking vampire now. A vampire for two years and he had no idea. She had visited him in that time. The supernatural being that he and his alter ego hunted. He was scared that the darkness inside of him would kill his now paranormal daughter.

Ivy sat there, oblivious to any of the thoughts and emotions Alaric was experiencing. She just wanted to finish her story. She stared blankly at the table, envisioning what she had gone through. "Katherine left me with Noah's body not long after I had fed. I didn't move for what felt like days but was just hours. I buried his body at the park where we went to after our first date. The next few days, I started to remember everything Katherine did and compelled me to forget." The anger was clear in her voice now. "I promised myself that I would never feed from the vein again. I had to learn self-control by myself. The thought of plunging a stake through Katherine's heart was the only thing that kept me going." Her knuckles were turning white from trying to suppress her anger to punch something. She stole a glance at her father who looked just as angry. She turned towards him wanting to give him some support. She went to touch his hand, but he flinched and moved it away. Ivy gasped, more tears spilling from her eyes.

"Daddy … Dad, I- I didn't want this. She used me, and she gave me no choice. I wanted to tell you when it happened, but mum told me how you feel about vampires." Alaric looked shocked at her after that comment. Brooke has promised not to tell their daughter about the supernatural. Alaric knew that Ivy would be curious and want to know more about it. "After I buried Noah, I went to mum because I was so scared and didn't know where to go. She met me outside her house and said that I could stay with her but then-" Ivy stopped to try and catch her breath.

Alaric panicked thinking that his daughter had done the worst to her own mother. "Then?" Alaric egged Ivy to continue. Ivy sniffled, wiping some of the tears away to make room for new ones.

"When she led me into the house, I couldn't enter. She knew what I was straight away. I didn't know what was going on. She… She told me she never wanted to see me again. So, I ran." She finally broke down. She felt Elena stroke her arm gently and felt comfort from it. "Please dad, I've lost one parent. I need my dad." She cried into her hands. All the emotions she had been trying to hold back to be strong, just all came out.

Alaric saw his little girl and couldn't believe what she had been through. He knew she had no choice and had lost so much. If he was honest, he needed her too. He got up from his chair and embraced his daughter. Yes, she was something he always despised but this was Ivy. His kid who he taught to talk, walk, ride a bike and to kick a boy in the nuts if he was bullying her. He was angrier at Katherine than anything.

Alaric turned Ivy around to face him, kneeling in front of her. Gently removing her hands from her face so she could look at him. Damon and Elena watched in silence as Alaric wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

"I'm not mad at you, kiddo. I'm mad that this happened to you. You'll always be my little girl and we'll get through this. I'll need some time to adjust but I'm not going anywhere." Ivy launched herself into her dad's arms, needing to feel warmth. Alaric kissed her head, stroking her hair as he whispered the words she needed to hear.

"I'm not going anywhere, kiddo."


	4. Chapter 4: The Murder of One

**Chapter 4: The Murder of One**

Alaric had moved out of the Gilbert house and into his old apartment in the main square of Mystic Falls. He believed it was the best idea since his alter-ego was so unpredictable. The herbs he had been taking every day seemed to be keeping the darkness at bay. Even though they tasted horrific. The mantra of doing this for his daughter and friends, kept him going.

Alaric was happy to be in his apartment again. Not that he didn't like staying at the Gilbert's but every day he was surrounded by reminders of Jenna. Being alone meant he was able to have some alone time to fully process that his only child was a vampire. Honestly, he was coming to terms with it better than he thought he would. Yes, she was a blood sucking monster but she was still his daughter. He was more worried for her safety with his alter ego lurking. He was sad to hear what she had gone through the last year with Katherine, Noah and Brooke, her mum. He couldn't leave her to fend for herself. Especially when she knew so little about the supernatural world still. He thought about giving her occult lessons once this was all over. But that was him being optimistic.

He had asked Ivy to stay with Elena at the Gilbert's, which she was more than happy to do. She already felt protective of Elena. The red head felt like she finally had some siblings to look after. Ivy was aware the brother and sister was having a difficult time processing things. She knew that at some point she would have to go back home but she couldn't leave Elena yet.

The two girls decided to have a night in to catch up. They discussed Noah and Ivy's relationship along with the proposal. Elena also divulged about her confusing feelings towards the Salvatore brothers. Elena informed Ivy about Isobel being her mother and a vampire. Ivy's hatred towards Isobel worsened after hearing her treatment towards Elena. The redhead's heart was heavy over Elena finding out she was adopted. Just to find out her biological mother was a disappointment.

When they woke up the next day, Elena announced she was getting breakfast for them. Ivy asked if she could get some for her dad and take it over to Ric's apartment. Elena agreed but had no luck as a dark-haired Salvatore was keeping guard. Elena was unable to even flirt her way in.

Later that morning, Elena got a message from Stefan asking to meet him at a location in the woods and to bring Ivy along. Whilst replying, she got a second message from Caroline asking about the text. Elena and Ivy thought it was a good idea to meet up with Caroline beforehand. The blonde vampire needed to know the truth about her father's death. Ivy was nervous about disclosing this information because she really liked the girl.

Since Alaric had moved to Mystic Falls, Ivy spent every summer with him like she normally did. She had gotten pretty close to Caroline as they are a lot alike. Ivy noticed a difference in Caroline last summer. The blonde had gotten more confident and seemed more comfortable in herself. She now knew that it was because Caroline become a vampire.

Ivy ran upstairs to get dressed into a red tank top, black cardigan with a denim skirt, tights and knee black boots. She put on some mascara like she normally did and brushed her hair. She skipped down the stairs to join Elena, ready to leave to meet Stefan.

* * *

Elena and Ivy were currently in the woods waiting for the blonde vampire to join them. Elena was nervous about informing Caroline that Alaric's alter ego killed her father. The two of them both agreed that they needed to rip this band-aid off quick.

Elena spun around to see the bouncy blonde walking towards them. Caroline's smile got bigger when she saw Ivy standing slightly behind the brunette.

"Oh my god, Ivy!" Caroline ran the rest of the way to embrace the older vampire. "What are you doing here?" Ivy laughed when Caroline squeezed her into a hug.

"You know, your dad gets a supernatural alter ego and wants you to visit. The norm really." Ivy stated in a happier tone, feeling better for seeing Caroline. Caroline pulled away in shock that Ivy knew.

"You know? I'm sorry for what he's going through." Caroline sadly replied. Ivy nodded with small smile, looking at Elena to tell Caroline the truth. Elena stepped towards Caroline, who turned towards the brunette to find out what's going on.

"Actually Caroline, there's something we have to tell you." Elena faltered. "Alaric's alter ego is the one who killed your dad." Caroline stepped back in shock gazing at the two girls in front of her.

"Alaric Saltzman killed my father?" Caroline questioned not believing what she just heard. Ivy knew that Caroline must be hurting. Yet she also felt the need to defend her father, it wasn't technically him killing council members. Caroline turned away from the two, to shield herself and let the news sink in.

"I can't expect you to be okay with this. But at least these herbs that Bonnie's giving him, they're healing him and they're keeping the dark side buried." Elena tried to reason with Caroline.

"Yeah, and that's supposed to make everything okay?" The blonde vampire's emotions were evident in her shaky voice. Ivy grabbed Caroline's arm to make her face the red head. She could already see the tears threatening to spill.

"No, Caroline, it's not okay. It's horrible and I feel horrible about it and I know he does too. But he's also a victim. He didn't ask for any of this it just happened to him." Ivy held Caroline's hands as she tried to defend her father whilst letting Caroline know it's okay to feel this way.

"Just' like Bonnie's mom, I mean, she didn't ask to become a vampire, she just wanted to help her daughter. And neither did Stefan or Tyler." Elena tried to back Ivy up.

"Or me." Caroline announces sadly as a few tears fell down her cheeks.

"Or me." Caroline looked at Ivy with wide eyes, the red head slowly nods in reply.

"None of you asked for this, but who would I be if I just turned my back on any of you?" Caroline moves to Elena's side and wraps her arms around her shoulders, giving her a small side hug. They began to walk again with Ivy following a step behind.

Ivy stared at the two, jealous of the best friends who had known each other for years. She wished she had something like that. The closest she had come was Noah, but he was dead, and Katherine, but she compelled her.

"Oh, Elena Gilbert, saviour of the cursed and the damned." Caroline declared dramatically. The three girls giggled as they found Matt waiting in the location Stefan asked to meet everyone.

"Hey. What's with the cryptic secret meeting text?" Matt asked the girls walking up to him. Ivy and Caroline shrugged in reply moving across from Elena and Matt.

"I don't know. Stefan said to meet here." Elena nodded to behind Caroline, as the dashing Salvatore brothers appeared behind them. The two girls turned around ready to hear why this secret meeting was called. Ivy was slightly distracted though, not taking her eyes of the younger Salvatore.

When she first met Stefan a few summers ago, she immediately saw the appeal. Not only was he a good-looking guy, but he was funny and so sweet. There was also something she couldn't put her finger on, something dark about him. The darkness kept her interest. Ivy was disappointed when Elena introduced him as her boyfriend. The redhead had to quickly remind herself that she had Noah. She loved Noah but was aware she felt something for Stefan. Finding out that the Salvatore brothers were vampires, made a lot of sense to the red head. Damon accepted what he was and in some way loved it. The darkness in Stefan was the conflict he felt being a vampire and needing human blood to live. Katherine had told her all about their story when they were 'friends'.

Ivy felt almost nervous being in the presence of the two attractive vampires. Intimidation from the powerful aura they gave off.

"Where's Bonnie?" Stefan questioned as he strolled up towards the others.

"Um… Bonnie's mom bailed on her. Again. So, I think we should leave her out of this one." Caroline informed the others with both sadness and anger in her tone.

"What are we doing here?" Matt began to get impatient.

"We found some more white oak." Ivy looked confused as she hadn't been caught up in the rest of the goings on in Mystic Falls. "Long story, wait for the movie." Damon aimed the comment at Ivy after seeing her expression change. The redhead glared at the blue-eyed vampire in response.

"Wait, white oak? You have a weapon to kill Klaus?" Elena said in hope and surprise.

"Nope. We all have a weapon" Stefan dropped the duffel bag he was holding to show the rest of the white oak stakes. Ivy felt a bit nervous at seeing the deadly weapon, knowing what it could do to her and the people around her.

"Who's Klaus?" Ivy questioned, hoping to make sense of what was going. Damon sighed and dropped his head slightly in frustration.

"He is the current big bad in Mystical Falls." He turned to Stefan in annoyance, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Why is she even here?" he whispered to Stefan.

"I can hear you. Vampire hearing!" She stated the obvious while pointing to her ears. Stefan ignored the little spat in front of him and began to explain.

"I asked Ivy to join us because she needs to know what is going on whilst she's visiting Alaric. She's put herself in danger by just being here." Stefan told Damon, turning towards Ivy to address her. "Klaus and his siblings, The Mikaelsons, are original vampires. The first generation of vampires who can only be killed with white oak stakes." He explained, tossing Ivy a stake which she easily caught. "Klaus has always been one step ahead of us, but now we have the advantage. We're all armed, and they are all linked, meaning we only need to kill one of them. We need to seize the best opportunity, which means we need to prepare for anything." Ivy felt like she had been inducted into the special forces, about to go on a dangerous top-secret mission.

Damon grabbed Elena and moved her in front of the group for a demonstration. "Scenario number one. You get to play Klaus."

"Rebekah is our target, so we distract her and catch her off guard. To do that we need to keep Klaus separated and occupied." Stefan points to Caroline. "Caroline, this is where you come in."

"Why do I always have to be Klaus bait?" Caroline whined.

"Because he's obsessed with you." Ivy's eyebrows raised at Damon's comment. Ivy got closer to Caroline to whisper in her ear.

"Is he at least cute?" Caroline swatted at Ivy as she suppressed a laugh.

 _That's a yes_. Ivy thought watching Damon walking over to the two of them.

"But for right now, we need you to play Rebekah. We use the quarterback to distract her. Just keep her talking." Matt looked dumbfounded on how he was meant to do this.

"How?"

"Act interested. She's lonely, desperate." Damon stated the obvious as he moved Caroline near Elena.

"Clearly. She slept with you" Caroline teased Damon, Elena and Ivy both trying to suppress grins.

 _Does Damon just sleep with anyone?_

Damon ignored the girls, carrying on with his briefing, possibly even enjoying it. "Beefcake holds bombshell. I come up from behind her." Damon gets behind Caroline to pin her arms behind her back. "Grab her arms like this."

"Ow!" Caroline whines.

"That didn't hurt, you're a vampire." Ivy sassed giving Caroline a look, who poked her tongue out at the red head. Stefan approached Caroline with a stake in his hand, pretending to stab her.

"Gives me time for one shot." Stefan didn't appreciate the humour, trying to show the seriousness of the situation. Damon let go of Caroline, "Got it? Good." Ivy wasn't going to admit out loud, but she quite liked this side of Stefan. She could feel her cheeks starting to warm. "So, we all have one stake, we keep it hidden and we look out for any opportunity we have."

"No last-minute attacks of pity for any of them." Damon looked at Elena as he spoke, trying to make a point.

"Don't worry about me. Not after what happened to Bonnie's mom."

"Barbie?" Damon turned to Caroline.

"Oh, I'm ready. Anything that will free Tyler from his sire bond to Klaus." Caroline confidently spoke, ready to put an end to these originals.

"Busboy?" Matt shook his head at the nickname given to him by Damon.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Good point. Little Saltzman?" Ivy was looking at Matt, surprised that Damon addressed her.

"I'm ready?" Ivy replied in an uncertain tone, almost hoping that was the right answer. She only came to visit her dad, now she's got herself involved with killing an original vampire?

"We have 13 stakes. 13 shots at killing one Original." Stefan walked down the line of the group, handing each person a stake to hide. "We can do this. Alright, let's try another scenario. Elena, grab a crossbow." Elena follows Stefan's orders. "Matt, you can play Klaus."

* * *

The group continued to play out scenario after scenario. Throughout the afternoon, Ivy couldn't help but tease Caroline about dating Lockwood. Who she learnt was a werewolf? They all grew tired and decided to call it a day. Damon left to go meet Alaric at the Salvatore Boarding house. Caroline, Matt and Elena left to go to the Grill. Ivy let the trio know she would meet them at the Grill after wanting to catch up with Stefan. She watched a crouched Stefan packing the weapons from the day into the duffel. She felt butterflies as she watched him, getting ready to talk to him.

"So, you left in a hurry from the Gilbert's the other day, I didn't get a chance to say hi." Ivy strolled over to Stefan with her hands stuffed in the pockets of her skirt. "So, hi." She stopped mid step to shame herself in what she had just said.

 _Oh god, that was so lame._

The blush appeared when Stefan chuckled at her. The young Salvatore stood up straight, brushing his hands on his jeans to look at the red head.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Me and blood don't really mix." Ivy nodded understanding the struggle.

"Yeah I get it; the temptation can become too strong sometimes."

"Definitely for a ripper." Ivy stared at Stefan in confusion. Since she was on her own when she had transitioned she didn't know a lot about the vampire world. She certainly wasn't going to ask Katherine about it.

From old movies and general knowledge, she knew the basics of vampires. They needed blood to survive and they couldn't walk in the sun. However, Hollywood didn't get everything right.

She found out she could compel people accidentally. Ivy was working at the bar and had asked a colleague to empty the trash. The girl obeyed as if she was under some sort of spell, totally forgetting that Ivy had asked her.

Her mother informed her that a herb called vervain weakened vampires. This was either by touch or digestion. Her mother had also learnt that vampires could walk in the sun with a daylight ring.

Ivy remembered Katherine talking about a few witches, so decided to ask them for one. A Lucy Bennett made one for her after learning she knew Bonnie.

Stefan saw the look on her face, getting the idea that he needed to elaborate. "A ripper is a vampire consumed by their own bloodlust. They have no control over it, to the point of fully draining a person of their blood." Ivy examined Stefan when he spoke seeing the guilt in his eyes.

"So, you're struggling now?" Stefan nodded sadly, avoiding eye contact with the red head.

"A few months ago, Damon got bit by a werewolf, which is fatal to vampires. The only thing that could heal the bite is Klaus' blood. For me to get the blood, Klaus made me drink blood. A lot of it, which triggered the ripper inside me. He wanted me to be his right-hand man, so I left with him, so he would heal Damon. The whole summer he made me kill innocent people, so he could get his stupid vampire/werewolf hybrids. Now I'm dealing with the aftermath of the bloodlust." Stefan started to walk towards the Salvatore Boarding house whilst venting to Ivy. She felt for Stefan because she remembered the pain of killing Noah and that was just one person. Luckily for her, she was very strict on herself when it came to blood, but the cravings will always be there.

"This Klaus guy sounds like such a dick." Ivy was trying to make light of the situation, seeing the impact it was having on Stefan.

"You have no idea." Ivy stood in front of Stefan to get him to stop walking. She placed her hands on the tops of his arms, looking at him in his directly in his sorrow filled eyes.

"Stefan, no vampire is innocent. To become a vampire, we need to feed, and that first feed almost always leads to the first death on our hands. From the first taste of blood, we can't help ourselves and get too carried away with it all. I didn't have a choice in mine." Ivy's head and arms dropped in shame. "Katherine made me feed on my fiancé," She whispered sadly knowing Stefan could hear her. "Before I even tasted him, I knew I was going to kill him. What gets to me is the smell, the aroma that devours your morals and then you're basically screwed." Ivy lifted her head to look at Stefan trying to show him he wasn't alone. They resumed their walking to the Salvatores. "I don't know what you're going through but you need to know you're not alone in any of this." Stefan smiled slightly at himself. Feeling slightly better being able to talk to someone about this. "I'm here if you need me." She bumped his shoulder with his in a playful manner. Almost to the Boarding house, Stefan decided to change the subject.

"So, Katherine, huh?" Ivy laughed in response. Of all the things to talk about, he picks that.

"Yep. I had the pleasure of meeting her and being turned by her."

"She has a habit of doing that."

"I bet. But I would rather be a vampire than listen to her talk about the amazing Stefan Salvatore for the last year." She teased him, noticing Stefan blush slightly, she grinned at the effect she had.

They entered the grounds of the Salvatore Boarding House and Ivy couldn't believe the sheer size of it. Her mouth was agape as she admired the beautiful old-fashioned house. She felt like she has been transported to a hundred years ago. She tried to keep up with Stefan as he approached the front door, but she slowed down trying to take it all in.

As the two vampires entered the house, Stefan's phone began to ring. He looked at his phone to see Elena calling. "I need to get this." Stefan stated as he answered the call, walking to the side for someone privacy.

Ivy wasn't paying attention to him, she was distracted by the grand decor of the house. Standing in the middle of the living room, she took in the classic wood fireplace. She was hypnotised by the crackling fire. Her hand ran along the scarlet red velvet sofas. Goosebumps appeared on her arms at the touch of the rough material. The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed her to peer into the woods outside.

Her blue eyes drifted to the bookcase along the left wall and saw all the classics there. She assumed most of them were first editions since the Salvatores were able to get the real deal. She pulled out a worn version of Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. She stroked the cover as if it would fall apart in her hands. As she was placing the book back ready to pick out a version of Little Women, she heard pained moans.

She turned her head to her left to see the impressive staircase and walked toward it. Out the corner of her eye she could see Stefan, still on the phone, walking the same way. She peered over the banister to see Alaric laid out on the landing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Dad?!" Ivy rounded the stairs, went up a few and crouched down to assess her father. Hearing her worried shout, Stefan jogged over to join the two of them.

"What the hell happened to you?" Stefan questioned an injured Alaric.

"Rebekah happened." Ivy looked up at Stefan, wondering if this was related to Klaus.

"Uh, I think we have a problem." Stefan told Elena on the phone walking towards the front door. Ivy crouched down to help her father up. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she walked him to the nearest couch to let him lay down.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" She tried to examine him, but he playfully hit her away.

"I'm fine kid." Ivy perches on the couch next to him.

"You are such a liar. Let me make you a drink." She huffed as she got up to go to the kitchen.

* * *

Ivy left her father to go to the Grill to get some food for them both. She probably wasn't gone for more than 20 mins. On her way to the front door, she could hear two voices talking inside.

"Elena said you have to drink this. I hope it tastes better than it smells." Caroline was in there with her father. She decided to wait outside, knowing the two of them could you a moment to talk about the death of Bill Forbes.

"It doesn't." Ivy knew it was bad to listen to someone else's conversation.

"It's either that or kill people, so." Caroline paused for a beat. "Elena told me everything." Alaric sighed as the guilt rose up again. "Right after I turned into a vampire, I killed someone. A stranger. I just … I just killed him. And what's worse is I liked it. I have blood on my hands too, I mean we all do." Ivy smiled to herself after hearing the same point she was trying to make to Stefan. Everyone needed to know that they weren't alone in all of this.

"Yeah, but the blood on my hands is your father's."

"Yeah, it is. And maybe the guy I killed was someone's father too. Look, all I know is, I'm no better than you. So, I'm going to take a page from the Elena Gilbert handbook and choose to believe that you can be saved. Okay?" The redhead decided to make herself known and entered the Boarding house.

"Hey dad, it's just me." Ivy shouted as she entered the library to see Alaric lying on one of the sofas and Caroline perched on the side. "Oh, hey Caroline." Relief crossed Alaric's face as he saw his daughter come around the corner. At this point, he just wanted to go home, relax and spend some time with his daughter. Alaric pulled himself up with a little bit of help from Caroline.

"Why don't we eat that back home? Spend some time together and watch some movies." Ivy smiled in reply, finally doing what she came here to do. She waved goodbye to Caroline as the father and daughter exited the house to go to Alaric's apartment.

* * *

Alaric and Ivy were currently watching a bad comedy film; a tradition they had made over the years. They would go onto the TV and find the worst film they could find. Alaric was sprawled out on the couch whilst Ivy was sat on the floor with her back to the sofa. The takeout box from the Grill, still open next to her. Their movie was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Ivy jumped up from the floor to answer it. She opened the door to Damon, leaning on the frame in his signature leather jacket.

"He's alive! He's alive!" She dramatically shouted like Dr Frankenstein. Ivy walked into the apartment to let Damon enter. Alaric got up from the sofa to welcome him.

"I need your stakes." The older Salvatore brother got straight to the point. Alaric walked towards the bookshelf, revealing him hiding place. Ivy collected hers off the coffee table and handed it to Damon. Alaric moved a few books around. "A bookshelf, really? At least I was trying to be clever about it." Ivy and Damon watched her father as he hit the shelf.

"Where is it?" Alaric barked.

"Dad, that's not funny." "Ha ha ha. Look harder, Ric." Damon and Ivy said simultaneously. Alaric turned to the other two in frustration.

"It's not here." Alaric barked. Damon stormed over to join him, searching the other shelves. "I put it right here! A stake doesn't just vanish into thin air!"

"Who else did you tell, Ric?" Damon demanded stepping closer to Alaric. Ivy watched the two males, hoping she wouldn't have to intervene, knowing she would lose.

"Damon, calm down" They ignored Ivy and continued to argue about the missing white oak stake.

"I- I didn't tell anybody, Damon! I'm the only …" Alaric started to stutter until he realised what had happened.

"What?" Ivy asked with hesitance.

"I'm the only one who knew about it."

"No. Are you telling me that your vampire hating alter ego has a stake that can kill an entire line of vampire, possibly mine?" Damon stressed the last few words.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you." Damon turned around in anger, stomping his foot on the ground.

"Guys …" Ivy faltered making Damon face the redhead. Alaric was worried seeing the nervous look on his daughter's face. "We only got those stakes this morning. We didn't even notice he was here." That only meant one thing.

"The herbs aren't working."


	5. Chapter 5: Heart of Darkness

**I know I've been posting like crazy at the moment but I can't stop writing! Happy to see it's got so many views, so thanks for reading it. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys think of it. Unsure of Ivy's end game but I'm enjoying writing her and seeing where she goes.**

 **Chapter 5: Heart of Darkness**

Ivy was in her father's room, at the Gilbert house, packing a bag for him. He was going to stay in the basement of the Salvatore's, where Stefan and Damon had a contained cell. She couldn't believe it came to this. Her dad was going to be in his own version of prison.

She kept repeating a list of what she need to pack in her head.

 _Toothbrush, clothes, deodorant…_

She was trying to distract herself. If she thought the herbs not working, then everything would come crashing down. A few tears fell. Ivy quickly wiped them away before anyone walked in and saw her. There was a light knock behind her, thankfully she was facing away from the door.

"Are you ready to go?" Elena spoke gently. She could hear the older woman sniffling from the hallway. Ivy nodded silently not want to speak, because she knew her emotions would give her away. Ivy felt her back warm up slightly knowing that Elena was approaching her. Elena placed her hand on Ivy's shoulder, trying to show her support. "It's okay to let it out Ives. This is a shit situation to be in." Ivy zipped up the bag, satisfied that she had packed everything her dad needed.

"I know… Can- Can we just go please?" Ivy picked up the bag and headed out the room ready to go see her dad. Elena followed behind, trying to keep up with the red head as they exited the house and got into the car.

The ride over to the Salvatore house was silent. Neither girl knew what to say; Elena didn't know how to help Ivy and Ivy didn't want to talk about her dad. Ivy willed Elena to drive fast so she could see her dad as much as possible whilst he was still him.

Arriving at the Boarding House, both girls got out the car to see Stefan and Damon waiting for them at the front door. Damon smiled softly at Ivy with sympathy, Ivy smiled in return not seeing this side of Damon before. It almost scared her. Stefan had an identical look on his face as they stepped away allowing the two girls to enter.

Elena led the young Saltzman down the stairs to the basement. She approached an iron door with a small barred window, peering into the inside of the cell. Ivy was a few paces behind Elena but could see her father inside sitting on a cot brooding.

"Alaric?" Elena asked, announcing her presence.

"Yep. Still me" Elena opened the heavy thick door to enter the cell. Alaric was about to complain when he saw Ivy follow her. Yes, it was dangerous for his little girl to be here but he needed to see her. Alaric and Ivy looked at each other, wishing that this whole ordeal had gone differently. Ivy dropped the bag beside her father's feet.

"We brought you some things so you don't stink up this cell." Ivy teased her father, feeling better for seeing him. The two were acting like nothing had happened as not to worry the other. Elena bent down to open the bag to show the contents.

"You got the basics. Toothbrush, clothes, some boring books to help you sleep." Elena informed Ric. He bet down to pick up one of the books, reading the title and handing it to Elena.

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?" Alaric had a small smile on his face knowing his best friend pulled this little prank. Ivy felt the exact opposite.

"I knew I shouldn't have fallen for his nice act. Probably sneaked it in whilst I was distracted by the fact that he could feel emotions." Ivy complained as she snatched the book in anger.

"Think he's hilarious." Elena stated with a shake of her head.

"At least one of us still has a sense of humour." Alaric tried to reason with his daughter and the young brunette he felt protective over. Ivy took in the small cramped room her father was staying in. The cell didn't feel homely at all, but I guess that was the idea.

The faded bricks were missing pieces where people had attacked the walls trying to get out. The small green army cot was the only piece of furniture she could see and seemed uncomfortable to sleep on. The room felt cold, nothing to keep Alaric warm. Her dad couldn't stay in here, he needed space so he could breathe. Ivy perched on the cot next to her father.

"Dad, you don't have to be kept in here. Are you sure that…"

"Ah, no, this is… this is the right place for me to be. At least until you can convince my highly uncooperative alter ego to fess up to where he hid the white oak stake." Alaric cut off his daughter knowing they both can be very stubborn.

"We looked everywhere. You … the other you, hid it well." Elena explained.

"What's Klaus gonna do if you can't find it?" Elena paused before answering.

"It's the only thing that will kill him, so wage war, murder people, you know Klaus stuff." Ivy now understood the importance of finding the last white oak stake. "Listen, Stefan and Ivy are going to watch over you for a little while. Now that Klaus knows where Jeremy is, it's not safe so, Damon and I are gonna go to Denver to pick him up."

"Can you and Damon handle being alone? I mean, I just got here but even I can feel the sexual tension." Ivy questioned Elena looking forward to hearing her answer. "Plus what does Stefan have to say about it?"

"Actually, it was his idea. He thinks that I have some unresolved feeling for Damon."

"Do you?" Alaric wondered. Elena took a beat.

"I guess that's why I'm going on this trip. So I can figure it out." Elena leant over to give Alaric a goodbye hug before leaving the cell.

"I'm going to make sure she's okay." Alaric nodded as Ivy followed Elena out of the room and caught up with her on the way up the stairs to the ground floor. "In all seriousness, are you sure this is a good idea? You and Damon?"

"I need to understand these feelings better, or if there are any there." Once they got to the ground floor, they made their way towards the Salvatore brothers in the living room. Stefan and Damon were standing close to one another. Obviously discussing how to make Alaric confess. The brothers watched the two women enter the room. Tension immediately filling the room.

"Have you ever flown first class?" Damon asked Elena.

"Who did you have to compel for that?"

"Pft, please. I use miles."

"Sure you do." Ivy spoke under the breath watching Damon pick them their luggage and walk out the door. Ivy looked at the ex-couple, deciding to let them have a moment and walked to help Damon.

"You better behave yourself." Ivy scolded Damon as he closed the boot to his baby blue car.

"When haven't I?" The two of them leaned on the car, waiting for Elena to come out.

"Please tell me that was a rhetorical question because it would take too long to list all the times." Ivy sassed back as Elena came out of the house. Ivy met her halfway to hug her.

"Please be careful." Ivy begged, she couldn't take something bad happening to one more person. She felt Elena nod understanding the hidden meaning. The girls pulled away from each other, Ivy watching Elena get into the car and pulling out the drive away.

Ivy walked back into the house to see Stefan in the same place she left him. Looking at him, she could see the impact of Elena and Damon and their possible feelings for each other. She knew it must be hard to watch the girl you love go off with your brother.

"I felt like such a mom then." Ivy was weirded out at the feeling, walking towards the basement to go see her dad. She paused and turned around looking at Stefan when she heard his footsteps. "Bring the whiskey too. I think we all need it." Stefan grabbed the whiskey bottle before following her down the stairs.

Stefan and Ivy approach the cellar Alaric was in to see him lying on the cot. Moby Dick lying on his chest, with his eyes closed trying to will sleep. "Do you know how hard it is to fall asleep when that is what you're supposed to do?" Alaric huffed, know it was no use.

"We come bearing gifts" Ivy lifted Stefan's arm so her dad could see the bottle of whiskey.

"What the hell, why not." Alaric welcomed the two vampires into the cell. Alaric moved the book from his chest and onto the bed beside him. Stefan handed the bottle to Alaric whilst Ivy got some chairs for the two to sit on. "You know; I'll feel decidedly less pathetic if I don't drink alone."

"Don't worry, we are one step ahead of you." Stefan stated showing Alaric the two glasses he brought down. The two vampires sat down, holding out the glasses for Alaric to pour them some whiskey. They all drink, Stefan and Ivy from their glasses and Alaric from the bottle. Ric looked at the empty of his glass, pondering his next question.

"So, road trip, huh?" He addressed Stefan, Ivy also wondering how he's feeling about the Elena and Damon trip.

"Yeah, I needed to stay here." Stefan continued to look at the small amount of whiskey in his glass. Avoiding the gazes of the other two people in the room.

"Why? I mean, why you? You know, it doesn't take much to babysit me while I sit here waiting for a psychotic break." Alaric tries to lighten the mood as Ivy rolls her eyes at her father.

"Yeah, all he really needs is a good bottle of bourbon." Ivy pats her dad on the knee before the mood turned.

"Well, unfortunately, we only have a limited amount of time before we have to resort to other methods." Ivy's mouth was agape in shock as she turned to Stefan. Actually hoping his alter ego appears before any form of torture began. She didn't want to be here if it began or see that side of Stefan.

"So you're worried that you're gonna have to torture me. You don't think Damon could have done that?" Alaric almost challenging Stefan to see if he had it in him.

"Look, Elena needed to go on that road trip with Damon. No matter what I go through to get her back; fighting my bloodlust, trying gain control of my life again. None of that matters if she has feelings for somebody else."

"Stefan, you can't say you're doing this for her and you can't stop if you don't get her back. The bloodlust and the ripper isn't you, just like the darkness isn't my dad. We'll get you back to yourselves." Ivy put her glass down on the floor, got up from her chair calmly and exited the cell. Once she was out of sight, she vamp sped through the house and out into the woods.

She stopped to lean against a tree, the feeling of something heavy on top of her chest. She felt as if an elephant was sitting on her rib cage. It was all she could focus on at the moment. The irony of her being dead and feeling like she couldn't breathe didn't escape her. She was aware she was having a panic attack as it wasn't her first.

She could potentially lose her father to a darkness from a ring that saved him from death. There was an original vampire family, that if one of them died so could she. Stefan was a ripper, currently struggling with his bloodlust. Ivy was turned into a vampire by a centuries old vindictive bitch, who made her feed on her fiancé. Plus, her mother didn't want anything to do with her.

With all the things that had happened recently she finally let it all out. She broke down. Falling onto her knees on the muddy ground. She didn't care if she ruined her clothes, she needed to feel somewhat stable. She dug her nails into the dirt and leaves trying to hold back the want to scream. The redhead started to punch the ground in pure frustration and anger. She stayed there sobbing wanting everything to go back to how it was. She missed the simple life.

She wished she never met Katherine Pierce, she could of been married to Noah by now. She could have even been pregnant with their first child in their little bungalow. Maybe in a parallel universe she was. In this universe she was a monster who fed on people to live with a way to manipulate people. Ivy could feel the cravings building up inside of her. Silently cursing her heightened emotions. Her sadness became depression. Her anger became rage.

Ivy continued to wail away from the Boarding House unaware that Stefan listening to her. He just wanted to be there for her but he knew she needed this escape.

The younger Salvatore had always felt a pull towards the redheaded vampire. He couldn't deny that he experienced it when they first met a few summers ago. He couldn't explain it but he was drawn to her and not because of her beauty. Stefan felt as though he could be there for her and tell her anything. He just wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but he couldn't lie to her. In this moment he didn't know if it was going to be okay, but he hoped it would be.

The sound of footsteps took him out of his thoughts as he saw Ivy walk into view, kicking leaves as she went. He was torn whether to stay and wait for her or act like he didn't know what she was doing. He watched her wipe tears from underneath her eyes, smearing a little bit of mascara. She wiped her jeans free of dirt and little pieces of leaves.

Ivy could feel eyes on her as she bent over slightly, cleaning herself of mud. She tried to subtly peer through her hair, which had fallen in front of her face, to see someone standing at the door. She knew it was Stefan since her father was trapped in a cell in the basement. She delayed herself trying to think of the best way to handle this. She knew Stefan wanted to be there for her. But she didn't want her bitterness to accidentally be directed towards him.

She straightened herself, continuing her walk towards the house. She felt like she was a little girl when their eyes met. She never noticed the intensity of Stefan's stare, it made her want to shrink into her hoodie. They met at the front door, nothing was said as Ivy walked straight passed him, into the library to the drinks cart. She picked up a nearly empty bottle of scotch, deciding to drink from the bottle. The redhead placed the empty bottle back onto the cart and faced Stefan.

"I feel better now. Don't know whether it was due to the alcohol or the break down" she laughed awkwardly to try and lighten the mood. Stefan walked towards Ivy, pulling her towards him to embrace her. In response to the sudden affection, Ivy closed her eyes and let out a breath. She tried to pull him even more against her and fisted the back of his shirt. She felt Stefan place his chin on the top of her head.

"It's okay not be okay, but you don't need to hide it." That's all Stefan said and that's all he felt that needed to be said in that moment. If she wanted to talk to him about it all, he was here for her but he'd wait until she initiated it. They stayed that way for a few minutes until he felt her start to pull away.

"I think we should go back downstairs. He's probably wondering what's going on." Ivy spoke, turning round to make her way downstairs to the basement. Stefan immediately missed the warmth from her. He didn't know if he was more affectionate towards her because of the pull he felt or because he was missing Elena.

He followed her downstairs, entering the cell to see her sit next to her dad on the bed. She leaned on him, feeling very tired and drained. Stefan leant against the door watching the caring moment between father and daughter. Alaric slid his hand in his daughters. Ivy placed her head on his shoulder and was greeted with a sweet kiss on the top of her head. He could feel the effect the situation was having on his usually cheeky daughter. Right now, she seemed to be a shadow of herself. Stefan sat opposite the two on a free chair and poured himself some more whiskey.

"I assume they've got Jeremy by now?" Alaric questioned Stefan.

"They should. Haven't heard from them. Elena's worried about him, knowing that she can't count on his ring anymore." Stefan leaned forward as he spoke. His eyes focused on Alaric and occasionally looking at Ivy beside him.

"Who knows? Maybe his alter ego is a pot smoking, hippie pacifist."

"Yeah, maybe."

"I can't say, I thought mine would be so hostile and militant."

"That actually makes perfect sense. Your wife left you to become a vampire and your girlfriend was killed by one."

"Uh that's unfair, he didn't know he was marrying a bitch." Ivy breathed tiredly. She felt her dad chuckle knowing how she felt about Isobel.

"He must really hate me. Here I am, the failed hunter slash drinking buddy of vampires with a vampire for a daughter too." Ivy noticed that Ric's tone didn't hold any anger when he mentioned her. Which was the only good thing to come of this situation. She could finally tell her dad the truth and he was surprisingly okay with it.

"Ah, he's too judgmental." Stefan teased Alaric.

"The thing is, he's me. I'm not compelled, I'm not possessed, there's no humanity switch. What drive him is me." Ivy sat up sharply.

"No dad. No, he's not you. He's the darkest parts of you. The parts we all have." Ivy went to go on but was interrupted by a man entering the cell.

He was a good-looking man. He had slightly curled dirty-blonde hair with dark blue eyes against his pearl white skin. He had a slight beard that added to his attractiveness. He wore a khaki green round neck with a black jacket and black jeans. She was slightly hypnotised by him and even more when he spoke with his British accent.

"Well, this is depressing, isn't it?" Stefan stood up at the sound of the unique accent. All three of them saw this man holding a white oak stake in his hand. "Oh, and I found this upstairs. Now, by my count, there should be one more."

"Yeah, well it's gonna take a little more time, Klaus."

 _So this was Klaus. Caroline didn't mention he was hot._ After the thought crossed Ivy's mind she had to remind herself that this was the bad guy.

"Why? Because we're waiting for that one to pass out?" Klaus pointed to Alaric. "No thanks. I think I'll just kill him." Ivy jumped in front of her dad, as if it would protect him in some way.

"No!" The redhead vampire piqued the interest of the original.

"Now who is this?" Klaus went to step towards he but was blocked by Stefan. He peered round him to look at the young woman. She had an old-fashioned look about her. Her maroon coloured hair was something you didn't see in this time. Her big almond shaped eyes complemented her full lips.

"She's my daughter." Alaric stood up from the cot, already in defence mode.

"Yet another person who wants to keep you alive" Klaus stated in a bored tone.

"Well you can't kill him, then you won't know the location of the other stake." Stefan tried to draw Klaus's attention away from Ivy and back to the matter at hand.

"I can live with that." Klaus said unaffected by the statement.

"Well, I can't. When we staked Finn, we discovered that killing an Original vampire killed its entire bloodline. Now, I don't know which one of you I'm descended from, but I'd really rather no find out by dying. So why don't we just find the stake, destroy it, so we can all be safe?" Ivy knew that the best way to appeal to Klaus was not through compromise, but she didn't expect what happened next.

"So the fate of the entire vampire race depends on you finding the stake?" Klaus stated to pace slightly. "And to get it we need you to pass out. Which means that I feel totally justified doing this." Before anyone could react, Klaus rushed towards Alaric. His hands breaking his neck making Alaric fall like a rag doll.

"NO!" Ivy painfully shouted whilst being held back by Stefan. It was hard to see her father die in front of her, but she was angrier at the ancient blonde. He knew what the ring was doing to him. She didn't realise that her face had changed. Now almost growling and baring her fangs to the original vampire. Klaus stepped back, not in fear, but in amusement.

"Well, isn't this interesting. The vampire hunter has a vampire for a daughter." Klaus almost laughed at the irony of the situation.

"Stay away from her" Stefan barked trying to intimidate Klaus. Klaus started to make his way to the door of the cell.

"Oh I will... for now…"


	6. Chapter 6: Dead Ringer

**Chapter 6: Dead Ringer**

Stefan was sat against the wall outside of Alaric's cell reading Moby Dick for the 5th time. It seemed like the more the ring was used, the more time Ric spent dead, which he knew was starting to worry Ivy. Every now and then, Stefan would peek at the redhead in the cell seeing how she was doing. She had stayed in the same place for most of the night.

Ivy was sat next to her father on the floor stroking his hair softly. Patiently waiting for him to wake up after Klaus snapped his neck. He had been out for hours, yet she hadn't moved. She carefully examined Ric's face looking for a slight twitch to show he was awake. She couldn't believe that the original vampire did this to her father knowing the power of the ring. She was well aware that when her father woke up, it might not be him but if it was him, she wanted to be here for Ric.

"Does it normally take this long?" She huffed in Stefan's direction. He placed the book on his lap about to reply when a groan emitted from Alaric. Stefan peered into the cell to see Ric slowly waking up.

"Welcome back" Stefan stated as Alaric tried sitting up with the help of his daughter next to him.

"What happened? Did I uh...?" Ivy and Stefan both shook their heads at Alaric.

"No, you pretty much laid there dead for half the night. But on the uh- on the plus side, I did almost finish reading Moby Dick." Ivy gave Stefan a look that read _'really?'_ Stefan walked into the cell to join the other two, feeling better that it was Ric and not the darkness. However, he knew that if this was Ric, he would have to try to lure the alter ego out by channeling the Ripper inside. Bringing out the monster he was trying to repress.

"How are you feeling?" Ivy gently rubbed her dad's back whilst querying him. She knows the weird feeling of coming back after getting your neck snapped.

Alaric got himself up, with Ivy behind him just in case he lost his balance. "Sore." Alaric was silent for a beat before getting frustrated with the situation. "This is stupid. Evil me or whatever you want to call him, he's not gonna make an appearance. Why would he? I mean, the best hiding place is the one where you can't find the person who hid it." Ivy and Stefan nodded in response, understanding the frustration Alaric was feeling. "So, how do you want to do this?" Ivy looked confused at her father not getting the meaning straight away.

"I don't want to do any of this." Stefan confessed. Ivy looked between her father and Stefan, now understanding conversation. She stood between the two to try and argue her point.

"What?!" Ivy stood up to Alaric, her anger getting heightened at him offering to be tortured. "Dad, no! I'm not letting you be tortured just so this 'darkness' will appear." She could feel tears threatening to fall. She hated that when she was human, she was an angry crier and it appeared being a vampire just made that worse.

"Kiddo, we don't have a choice. This evil me obviously knows what's going on and doesn't want to show up." Alaric looked to his hand after almost shouting at his daughter. He slid the Gilbert ring off his finger and handed it to Ivy. The vampire looked shocked at Alaric, before looking at Stefan for logic and reason. She tried to plead with Stefan with her eyes, but it seemed that he was having the same issue with this.

"Wait, wait, what are you doing? You need that ring." Alaric shakes his head at Stefan.

"No, what I need is hope that my alter ego doesn't have a death wish. So, I'm taking bets that my dark side has a sense of self-preservation. So, let's see if he defends himself against death." Ivy understood why he was taking off the ring, but the plan was still stupid.

"Look, Alaric, I'm not gonna kill you, okay?" "What if he doesn't appear in time?" Stefan and Ivy asked simultaneously.

"If we have any chance at this, Stefan, you're gonna have to try." Alaric braced himself for the oncoming torture from Stefan. Ivy puts her hands up, almost in surrender, as she walked to the door.

"Well, I'm not going to be here for this. You better hope he appears otherwise I'll bring you back and kill you myself." Ivy stomps out the cell before Stefan made his move. She got to the top of the stairs when she heard a fist colliding with flesh and her dad's painful moans.

* * *

Ivy was sitting in the library of the Salvatore house, halfway through her second bourbon. She was sat on one of the scarlet red velvet sofas near the fire, needing to sit down trying to ease her trembling limbs. She decided to light a fire once the fighting had started so she could try to focus on the crackling wood. Sounds from the basement still came through every now and again. The bourbon swishing around her glass was helping block them out too. She felt like she had been sat up here for hours but when she peered at the clock, it had only been 10 minutes. She seemed to be stuck in a trance, not looking at anything, trying to focus on sounds of the fire.

She started to pick up voices and wondered if the darkness had appeared. She stood up from the sofa and realised they weren't Alaric or Stefan's gruff voices she could hear. She could hear a woman. A woman with a very posh accent, almost British. The voices were getting louder, coming from her right. Turning towards the front door to the house, it slammed open revealing two figures. She recognised one figure as Klaus but wasn't familiar with the blonde walking in step next to him.

She was a tall, slim blonde with full lips and blue eyes which complimented her fair skin. Her hair was down, falling in large curls, resting on the tops of her leather clad shoulders. The way she dressed and held herself gave off this confident vibe which intimidated Ivy. She looked very similar to the evil gentleman standing next to her.

"Ah, Evie, wasn't it?" Klaus joyfully beamed knowing how to get under her skin.

"It's Ivy" she replied through gritted teeth.

"Apologies." He bowed which made the frown on Ivy's face deepen. "I'd like you to meet my troublesome sister, Rebekah," He gestured towards the blonde next to him. Rebekah gave her a tight-lipped smile which didn't reach her glaring eyes. Klaus and Rebekah continued to strut into the Salvatore House, into the parlor to join Ivy.

"How many more of you there are?" Ivy started to feel less intimidated and more confident. She didn't know why because she was taunting two original vampires that could easily kill her.

Klaus was now a few steps away, looking away as if to count. "Well now that your merry group of men staked my brother Finn and our mother kicked the bucket, that would be 4 now, love." She heard a hard thud from downstairs which sounded like someone hitting a wall. Ivy went to move down to the basement, before Rebekah got in her way.

"Uh uh uh" She shook her head and wagged her finger in front of Ivy's face as if telling off a child. "We wouldn't want to interrupt Stefan's work now, would we?" Ivy glared at the blonde, hating her patronising tone. The two Originals were enjoying this a bit too much. Rebekah turned back to her brother. "Now how does she fit into all this?" Talking as if she wasn't standing in front of Ivy.

 _Seriously?!_

"This would be Alaric's daughter, obviously she would like to keep him alive." Klaus joined his sister, Ivy leaned back at the closeness of the two vampires.

"Oh. The hot history teacher come hunter has a vampire for a daughter." She chuckled sarcastically. "How ironic."

Ivy had a comeback on the tip of her tongue, but she could hear footsteps climbing the stairs. She looked towards the basement entrance to see Stefan entering whilst texting.

 _Oh, thank god._ Ivy thought as she sighed in relief.

"That wasn't too hard, was it?" Stefan lifted his head up at the sound of Klaus' British accent. He looked to Ivy who appeared very uncomfortable but seemed to be unharmed by the two originals.

"What are you two doing here?" Stefan demanded seeing not only Klaus but his annoying little sister.

"We wanted to see if any progress was being made." Ivy glanced down to Stefan's hands to see her father's blood decorating his knuckles. Ivy eyes shot up with anxiety, not meeting Stefan's who was distracted by the blood on his skin.

"He gave up the location, it's in the cave." Stefan stated in a deadpan tone wanting to get this meeting over with. Ivy stepped between the two originals and walked over to Stefan. She peered up at him meeting his eyes and gently grasping his forearm in worry.

"Is he okay?" Stefan looked into her big blues eyes.

"He's a bit banged up and bruised but he'll be okay. I'm sorry I had to do that." Ivy nodded stroking Stefan's arm slowly in reassurance. The pouring of liquid made the two vampires look at Klaus helping himself to the drinks cart. Rebekah was nowhere to be seen.

"That's a little gratuitous, don't you think, Stefan? I would have been more gentle." Klaus teased the two. Stefan hadn't noticed that Ivy was still holding onto his arm until her nails dug in. The young vampire was trying very hard to restrain herself.

Rebekah entered the room dragging a banged-up Alaric from the cell in the basement. The redhead gasped at the sight of her father, making Stefan feel even more guilty. The blood was drying but still slowly seeping from a cut on the bridge of his nose and dripping down to his chin. There was some more gathered around his mouth from a split lip and showing the internal injuries. His khaki green shirt was stained crimson red. The evil Alaric looked at her and smirked in her direction. He knew who she was and the effect the blood was having. She could feel the veins trying to break through as she watched the forbidden juice drip from his chin. She focused on her breathing, taking deep breaths to calm herself. Stefan could hear her breathing and knew she was struggling as well, which made him feel a bit better.

She risked a side glance towards Stefan to see how he was dealing with the sight. His eyes were directed towards Rebekah trying to ignore the sight of Ric. She noticed that Rebekah's mouth was moving and decided to tune in. The blonde dragged her father towards the door.

"I'm gonna take him to the caves." Rebekah tried to Alaric. "You're gonna go inside and fetch me the stake and if you think you're gonna hide, you're wrong." Rebekah pushed Alaric towards the door. Ivy tried to follow but was stopped by Klaus. Ivy knew she didn't stand a chance if she tried to fight to him. She heard the door slam and realised she lost her dad until she saw him again.

"And then there was two. I know about your brother's little mission to Denver. He failed. Not that that's news anymore." Klaus teased the two in front of him. He made his way towards the two sofas in the parlor.

"So, what are you gonna do now, Klaus? You gonna kill us?" Stefan saw Ivy frozen still looking at the door in fear of not knowing where her dad was and for how long. Stefan stepped closer to Klaus trying to intimidate him.

"I haven't decided yet" Klaus sat down on the sofa, making himself comfortable as if he owned the place.

"Aww, sure you have. See you've had every chance and every excuse imaginable to do it, but yet you haven't. Which means you don't want to." Stefan crept closer to Klaus with every step trying to find holes in his plan.

"You know something, you're right. You see, I'm still waiting for an old friend to come back." Ivy looked at Stefan confused, wondering who he was referring to.

 _Old friend?_

"By the looks of it, he's just beneath the surface. Waiting to come out and play. Isn't that right, Ripper?" Klaus leaned forward with the glass of whiskey in his hand.

"I've been fighting that part of myself, thinking that if I repressed it then it would go away. But it won't. And now that I've accepted it, it can't control me." Stefan stormed towards Klaus, his voice getting louder with each word. "And neither can you. So, unless you're gonna stake me, why don't you get the HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE?!" Stefan left the room, stomping his way up the stairs to his bedroom, leaving Ivy and Klaus together.

"Well, it seems I'm not wanted here." Klaus downed the rest of the whiskey, sighing as he stood up from the sofa. He started to walk towards the door but stopped before he got to the couple of steps before the foyer. He paused to think then span on his heel to face Ivy. She was still frozen in the same spot but now looking towards the other vampire in the room. Klaus walked towards her with purpose. He grabbed the tops of both of arms roughly, making her look at him. He looked her straight in the eye, which left her hypnotized.

"Don't go looking for your father." She continued to look at him blankly. "We've got plans for him, love." Klaus let her go, watching her blink a couple of times not knowing what just happened. Klaus strutted towards the entrance of the house, leaving Ivy alone.


	7. Chapter 7: Do Not Go Gentle

**Chapter 7: Do Not Go Gentle**

Stefan was in his room pacing fiercely, wearing out the tattered floorboards. He couldn't believe he let Klaus get to him again. The original vampire knew how to push his buttons. Especially when he talked about Chicago. The Ripper inside him was controlled. However, his emotions were still too much for him particularly ones of anger and guilt. He roughly pulled out a book from his bookshelf, throwing it towards the door in hatred. He continued to pull books out, throwing them onto the ground with strength. He needed to get this out, so it didn't manifest through his bloodlust.

Ivy ran up the stairs to Stefan's bedroom, after hearing the crashes from above her. She stood in the doorway watching Stefan release his fury by taking it out on inanimate objects. The redhead wanted to intervene but knew he should get this out of his system. After a few minutes, he finally stopped out of breath from the physical activity. He ran a hand through his fluffy hair, revealing the veins bulging in his arms from the anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the flame haired girl staring and waiting.

"I... uh... I'm sorry you had to see that." Stefan apologised looking down at the floor.

"It's okay, after everything that's happened you probably needed it." Ivy walked slowly into the room, stepping over books as she went.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I had to-" Ivy cut Stefan off with a shake of her head.

"Stefan you don't have to apologise, it needed to be done." Her voice went quiet at the end. "There was no other way for his darkness to come out. His alter ego was fully aware of what needed to be done. The evil bastard wanted my dad to be on the brink of death before showing himself." Ivy was now standing in front of Stefan looking up at him. "I just hope that he's okay."

"Well, we should go look for him. Rebekah said she was taking him to the caves, he could still be there." Stefan turned around looking for his jacket.

"I-I can't." Stefan glanced at Ivy puzzled. Ivy seemed equally as confused. She wasn't able to recall why she couldn't go.

"What do you mean you can't?" Stefan grabbed his jacket ready to go believing she didn't want to see her father this way.

"I want to, but something is telling me I can't go. Like there's a wall in front of me." Stefan's face hardens as he realised what's happened. He threw his jacket harshly towards the book shelf, making Ivy jump at the sudden action.

"Klaus compelled you not to go."

"What? But…But I'm a vampire he can't do that!"

"He's an original vampire so he's able to compel us."

Ivy let out an angry throaty groan. "This guy is such a dick!" She kicked a table which slid across the room on the floor. "Oh, sorry... So, what do we do now?"

Stefan walked over to his drink's cabinet, taking out a bottle of bourbon and two crystal glasses. He placed them on the table in front of Ivy, pouring the liquid into the two containers. "I think we both need a drink after the day we've had. We'll wait for Damon to get home with Elena and Jeremy to figure something out." Ivy felt useless at this point, just sitting and waiting for her father to return. She wanted to go after him and protect him from the originals but all she could do was sit and worry. She decided to give in to the suggestion, picking up a glass, praying silently to anyone listening.

* * *

Ivy woke up to the sound of her phone ringing from her back pocket. She cursed silently at the person ringing. With her eyes still closed, not knowing who was calling, she answered the device and brought it to her ear. "Hello?" Her voice still groggy from just waking up.

"Ivy, where are you?!" Caroline's chipper voice boomed down the other end of the phone. Ivy pulled the device away, not expecting the sheer volume from Caroline Forbes.

"Caroline?" Ivy asked, rubbing her throat feeling like she swallowed a hack saw.

"Yes! Where are you? You said you would help me decorate for the dance." Ivy took a beat before reply.

"What? No, I didn't."

"Oh… Did I not mention it?" Caroline was quiet for a beat trying to recall if she asked the younger Saltzman. "Well could you?" Ivy sighed, fully aware that Caroline knew she couldn't say no.

"Yes, let me shower and I'll be right there." Ivy rubbed her forehead trying to will herself to start the day.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Ivy hung up on Caroline, not being able to deal with her high-pitched voice so early in the morning.

Ivy slowly opened her eyes, letting them try and focus for a minute or two. She saw that she wasn't in the guest bedroom of the Gilbert House or at her father's apartment. She was still in Stefan's room.

In a panic, she patted herself to find she was still fully clothed. Not that she would be disappointed if she slept with Stefan. But more disappointed that she couldn't remember it.

She looked to her left to see Stefan still asleep facing towards Ivy. She found herself stared at him. He looked so peaceful and stress free compared to the Stefan she was used to. She started to examine his face when she saw his mouth twitch trying not to smile.

"Can you stop watching me sleep? It's creepy." Ivy whacked him in the chest. Immediately regretting the movement as the slight pounding headache got worse.

"Shut up. Sorry for waking you up…. What happened last night?" Ivy sat up slowly looking around the room. The books still on the floor and a couple of empty bottles of bourbon were lying around.

"Well, we were going to wait up for Damon to see how the road trip went. But then we must have passed out after drinking too much, which for a vampire is a lot." Stefan sat up next to her, looking unfazed by the drinking. Whereas, Ivy had little remnants of mascara left on her face with her knotted ginger hair. Ivy swung her legs over the side of the bed about to get up when a smell hit her nose. She recognised it, looking for the little plastic bags to see if it were true.

At foot of the bookcase laid three empty torn blood bags. Ivy hoped that it was her more than Stefan. "Uh... it looks like we may have had too much fun." Ivy pointed in the direction of the blood bags as Stefan learned forward to see what she was talking about. Stefan hung his head in shame, after deciding to go back on the animal diet. Ivy saw his reaction hoping he wasn't scolding himself. "We don't know which one of us took them and if it was you, it was only three blood bogs which is pretty good for a Ripper?" Ivy did suck at comforting people, but what do you say to a man that practically hates himself?

Damon decided to make his entrance after finally receiving a call from Alaric. Still texting on his phone, he hadn't seen that Stefan wasn't alone. "Just talked to Alaric, he decided to go out of town for a few days…"

"WHAT?!" Ivy boomed cutting Damon off. Damon looked up to see the redhead and his brother in bed together, his famous smirk appearing on his face. Damon leaned on the door frame, taking in the sight and saving it for later.

"Well what happened here then?" Damon teased the two, who scrambled to get out the bed and separate themselves. Totally forgetting that they were fully clothed, and nothing happened. Ivy stormed towards Damon after his attempt at changing the subject.

"My dad's leaving town?!" The redhead demanded to see if she heard him right.

"Yep but you can just go after him."

"Klaus compelled her not to go looking for him." Stefan chipped in, getting out of bed, trying to avoid stepping near the blood bags.

"Oh, that's too bad for you." The blue eye Salvatore pouted at Ivy, pinching her right rosy cheek. Ivy swatted manically at Damon, hating the patronising tone he spoke to her in.

Damon entered the room, walking past Ivy and towards the empty blood bags on the floor. He crouched down to examine them like a detective in a crime show. Tutting at Stefan as he swiped a finger through some remaining blood and licked it off his finger. "Mm B positive, my favourite." The old Salvatore knew how to get to Stefan especially in his vulnerable state. Damon couldn't hold the smile in any longer. "I was wondering where I put these." Ivy rolled her eyes not impressed by Damon's antics towards his little brother.

"I have no time for this. I need to go and meet Caroline." Ivy bent down to grab her shoes ignoring the brothers who started to bicker about the prank. She watched the two brothers argue before spinning on her heel and leaving the room.

* * *

Ivy was late to meet Caroline after staying in the hot spray of the shower. The feeling of the water on her skin, washing away the dirt and leaving her feeling fresh. It felt euphoric. She quickly dressed in some light blue ripped jeans, a baggy grey sweater and some converses. She checked herself in the mirror then jumped in the car to leave.

It was weird being back at a high school, since it's been years since she graduated. She used to love high school; the dances, the cheerleading and the boys. She almost wished she could go back to experience it again but that meant having to go back to class too.

She entered the old brick building, hoping she wouldn't have to ask anyone for directions. Not in the mood to interact with strangers. Luckily, she saw a couple of students with decorations and decided to follow them. Ivy felt a bit creepy following some young teenage boys but how else was she going to find the gym.

Finally getting to her destination, she looked around with nostalgia. Red vinyl stars were hanging from the ceiling with red and white balloons. The tables were draped with crimson red sheets and gold centrepieces. She couldn't decipher the decade until she saw the ostrich feathers and beading. Glancing around the room, she saw Jeremy and Matt hanging up stars to the ceiling. Caroline was walking around with a clipboard in her arms whilst Elena was by a preparation table.

Ivy met Elena and Caroline by the table just as they started to talk about Alaric.

"So, Alaric is trying to pull himself together, why is that a bad thing?" Caroline asked Elena, both at the table surveying the rest of the ornaments.

"I just … I wish there was something I could do." Elena admitted as Ivy draped an arm around her shoulder, making Elena jump.

"Me too." Ivy gave Elena a side arm hug and smiled hello at Caroline. The brunette picked up a cheap looking chandelier from the table.

"Where do you want me to hang this thing?" Caroline looked at the chandelier with disgust as if it was diseased.

She took the light from Elena, using only her fingertips to touch it. "You know what, if Rebekah wanted to hang this monstrosity, she should have shown up to do it herself." Caroline handed the brass chandelier to a passing student. "Just no!"

Ivy peered around the room to look for the blonde original, but Caroline was right; she wasn't here. Ivy started to panic wondering if Rebekah and her dad were still together. "She isn't here?" Ivy wondered to the two girls. "The last time I saw dad, he was being taken to some caves with Rebekah. I can't go after them because Klaus compelled me not to. So now I'm stuck here, decorating this gym." Ivy said without breathing trying to get her emotions out. Caroline and Elena looked wide eyed at each other in worry. Elena gave Ivy a hug whilst Caroline reached over the table to pat her arm in support.

"It's okay, we'll find him. Damon is looking for him as we speak." Ivy nodded, listening to Elena trying to calm her. Ivy took some long slow breaths to ease her two friends. Her eyes went to Matt and Jeremy behind Caroline, trying to hang some more stars.

"Hey, is that Jeremy?" Ivy asked the two, seeing a handsome, less indie version of Jeremy with Matt. His previous swishy longish hair now short and spiky. She also noticed that he had got some muscle, no longer the young boy she saw when she was here last.

Elena opened her mouth to speak but Caroline noticed the way the two boys were hanging the stars all wrong. Caroline stormed over to them to correct their 'mistakes'.

"What are you doing? You can't just hang them! They're supposed to trickle down." Elena and Ivy were stood behind Caroline, trying not to laugh. The perfectionist showing in Caroline. Matt nodded sarcastically, realising his error.

"Trickle, duh!" Matt directed towards Jeremy who laughed in response. Jeremy noticed the redhead behind Caroline, he smiled at her and got one back in return. Ivy moved towards the boy to give him a hug, finally able to see the little Gilbert. She was about to ask him about the Denver trip when Caroline pulled her away from the two.

"Jeremy has got a lot on his mind. The whole thing with Alaric has got him really stressed out." Ivy tuned in mid conversation, resuming the talk about her father.

"Well of course it has. He's worried about losing another guardian." Ivy said sadly towards the brunette.

"You sure it has nothing to do with witnessing you and Damon getting hot and heavy in a seedy motel?" Ivy gasped at the new information, hitting Elena lightly on the arm.

"You let me get all weepy about my dad and not tell me about this brand-new information?" Ivy started off loudly but then remembered there were other people around them. Elena had finally given in to the Damon charm.

I guess she figured out how she feels towards him.

"I didn't tell you that, so you could torture me with it." Elena scolded Caroline, who was giggling behind her clipboard.

"No wonder he was in such a good mood this morning" Ivy wondered out loud.

"When did you see Damon this morning?" Caroline stepped in front Ivy making her stop mid step as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. She looked at Elena, hoping that the two girls didn't make such a big deal out of her staying at Stefan's.

"Uh… I was … Urm" Ivy stomped her foot at not being able to think of something else. "I saw him at the Salvatore House when I woke up in Stefan's bed this morning." Ivy spoke quickly hoping the girls didn't hear her but saw Caroline's mouth agape at the gossip. "Not like that. We drank too much, ended up crashing at his." She hoped that this would put Elena at ease, knowing she still had feelings for the younger Salvatore.

"Oh! Boo!" Caroline pouted, continuing to walk towards a table with some costumes on top. "So, who are you bringing to the dance?" Both girls look towards Elena, wanting to hear the answer to the question. Elena wrapped a feather boa around her neck with a flourish.

"What do you mean? I thought you, Bonnie and I were going as girl dates."

"Hm, Bonnie has a date." Caroline stated softly trying not to upset Elena.

"What?"

"Yeah Jamie called and wanted to see her, so she asked him. But here's a thought, why don't you ask Stefan?" Ivy looked between the two girls, wondering where the blonde was going with this. She really didn't want to hear more about Stefan and Elena's relationship. Especially when certain feelings were returning.

"I can't ask him on a date, I just made out with his brother." Ivy nodded taking in the conversation, agreeing with Elena on that point.

"All the more reason! Look you're supposed to be figuring out what you want, that's what Stefan wanted you to do, right? I've watched The Bachelor, okay? Fair is fair. It's Stefan's turn now." Ivy continued to nod, trying to hide her real feelings.

"Yeah and you're not biased or anything."

"I'm sorry, but Stefan is your epic love. And I'm not going down without a fight." Elena rolled her eyes as she walked away from the table to continue to decorate the gym.

"Not a big fan of Damon, huh?" Ivy questioned Caroline. Not aware of the past between the blonde and the eldest Salvatore.

"I just think her, and Stefan are meant to be. They are good for each other." Caroline said sincerely looking at the half-decorated gym. Caroline stormed off after seeing a couple of students making 'mistakes'. Ivy joined Matt and Jeremy hoping the two boys would distract her from Alaric and Stefan.


	8. Chapter 8: Death Becomes Him

**Chapter 8: Death Becomes Him**

When the decorating was finished, Elena, Ivy and Jeremy returned home to the Gilbert's. Ivy helped Elena and Jeremy get ready in their 1920 costumes. She was jealous of how good they looked. She used to love getting dressed up for her high school themed dances. She was one of the students that used to go all the way with the costumes, fully embracing whatever theme. It allowed her to escape whatever drama was happening then. Those problems seemed so stupid compared to the problems she was facing now.

After the Gilbert's left the house to attend the dance, Ivy decided to stay in and watch a couple of movies. If she wasn't compelled by Klaus, she would go looking for Alaric but alas she's couldn't. So, she decided to get some popcorn, put her feet up on the sofa and wait for Jeremy and Elena to get home. She hoped that the brother and sister could have one supernatural free night.

She was halfway through another viewing of the Pirates of the Caribbean when her phone rang. She didn't recognise the number but decided to answer it, hoping it related to her dad.

"Hello?" She answered it hesitantly.

"Little Saltzman, where are you right now?" Ivy rolled her eyes at Damon's nickname for her, ignoring his panicked tone.

"I'm at the Gilbert's, why?" An immediate annoyed tone in her voice whilst talking to Damon. She heard him sigh in relief, Ivy already knowing her night was ruined.

"We need you to get to the old cemetery in town. Momma original is there with Elena and Alaric. Matt and Jeremy already left." As soon as Ivy heard her dad's name, she was up and out of the door, not bothering to ask why he couldn't go himself.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

The squealing of the mustang's tyres echoed in the woods. The brakes were applied as soon as she saw Jeremy and Matt about to enter the cemetery. The two boys turned seeing the headlights of Ivy's car. Matt looked a little relieved that the two humans now had vampire backup. As soon as she applied the handbrake, Ivy jumped out of the car to join the boys at the entrance. Whilst walking toward the boys she noticed that they were equipped with a rifle and a crossbow.

"What's going on?" Ivy asked the guys, catching up with them and slowly creeping into the cemetery.

"Esther took Elena from the dance to help Ric since he hasn't been taking the herbs." Ivy looked at Jeremy in shock that her father wasn't helping in this situation. "Klaus figured out they were here because of some magic hotspot." Jeremy continued raising the crossbow in front of him ready to act.

The three of them advanced towards the Salvatore tomb in the Mystic Falls cemetery. They were careful to tread quietly not to alert anyone of their position until they were ready. As they got to the entrance of the tomb, Matt stepped on a twig which snapped under his weight. Esther hearing the noise, decided to check what or who was outside.

The blonde matriarch of the original family exited the tomb to see the trio. A blonde young man pointing a rifle at her with a brunette man aiming a crossbow and a redheaded woman in between. "Don't move!" Matt ordered the blonde.

"Where's Elena?" Jeremy questioned her, finger on the trigger ready to react. Elena heard her brother's voice and came running out the tomb to see the trio.

"Jeremy!" "Let her go" the Gilbert siblings shouted in unison.

"Elena, where's Alaric?" Ivy asked the brunette, not being able to see her father in the darkness of the tomb.

"He's inside but he's out cold."

"How foolish of you, to risk your lives in defence for those who will kill you. But if that is your choice." Esther declared, using her powers to make Jeremy and Matt point their weapons at each other. Matt and Jeremy started to panic at the involuntary gesture.

"Matt! Matt drop you gun!" Jeremy pleaded with Matt.

"I can't I'm not controlling it" Ivy stepped in between the two. She tried to use her strength to point the weapons in a different direction. Pleading neither of them pressed the trigger. She struggled against the power of Esther's magic.

"Esther stop it!" Elena ordered Esther who was continuing to manipulate the two boys.

Suddenly Esther fell to the ground with the indestructible white oak stake in her back. When she hit the ground, she revealed Alaric Saltzman. The boys were able to relax, control of their limbs returning to normal.

"Oh my god. Where's my ring? Tell me what happened." Alaric rambled on, not remembering anything since the cell at the Salvatore mansion. Ivy bent over in exhaustion, after using all her strength to try to prevent the two boys hurting each other. She took a beat before stumbling towards her father who welcomed her with a hug.

"Hey, kiddo" he mumbled into his daughter's hair, needing to feel close to her. They pulled away from each other, Alaric grabbing his daughter's face with both hands to see if she was okay. She nodded breathlessly and fell back against her father.

"Uh guys- we need to talk." Elena felt nervous about having to inform the others that Esther had 're-made' him into a vampire. The vampire to hunt and end the vampire race. Ivy raised her head at the tone in Elena's voice. She glanced up at Ric to see if he knew what she was talking about, but he just followed Elena into the tomb.

* * *

The news sunk in that her father had been fed Elena's blood and stabbed with a white oak stake. They waited for Damon and Klaus to turn up to take Esther's body. Elena, Alaric and Ivy stayed in the tomb in silence, no one knowing what to say or how to make each other feel better.

Jeremy came racing into the tomb immediately feeling the sombre atmosphere. "Damon's here. And Klaus took Esther's body." Jeremy informed the trio.

"Does he know about the stake?"

"No, only that she tried to turn you into a weapon and failed." Jeremy looked at Ivy and Elena's heartbroken expressions. "Uh...What's going on?" Alaric detached himself from his daughter to approach Jeremy.

"Listen Jeremy, I'm not going to complete the transition. My dark side was dangerous enough as a human. I can't be a vampire." Jeremy stepped back in shock at Alaric's confession.

"So, what we're just gonna lock you in here and let you die?" Jeremy glanced at the two girls, hoping this was all a joke. "No!" Their expressions didn't change. "No, we can't" Alaric stepped forward, grabbing the tops of Jeremy's arms to make him listen to his reason.

"Listen, Jeremy, it's the right thing to do, okay? After everything that's happened, after all that I have done. Maybe I had it coming." Jeremy spun around on his heel, not wanting to look at Alaric. He goes to walk out of the tomb but stops, hearing his sister's voice.

Elena steps forward to go after Jeremy. "Hey, wait, Jer..." Elena turned towards Alaric, trying to make him feel a little better. "Alaric this isn't your fault." Ivy stayed out of the way to let the Gilbert's have a moment with their father figure.

"Please, you guys, let's not make this any harder than it already is. You two should go. Ivy and Damon are going to stay and make sure it'll all go down the right way." Alaric spoke in a comforting tone, not wanting to see the Gilbert siblings watch someone else die. Alaric pulled Jeremy towards him to hug the son he never had. Alaric was going to give him a speech about needing to be the man around the house but decided against it. Jeremy pulled away from Alaric with his head down and walked out the tomb. Alaric let out a breath as he turned to face Elena who already had tears in her eyes.

"This is all my fault. You moved out, you gave me your ring back, you didn't want any part of this and I- I forced you to stay and take care of us." Elena started to sob, letting the tears fall and releasing her emotions. Alaric stepped towards the young woman, bending down to her height so he could look her in the eyes.

"Don't do that. Taking care of you and Jeremy made me feel like a dad again and I couldn't be prouder of the two of you." Elena stepped forward to hug Alaric. The tears trailing down her red cheeks as she squeezed Alaric tight. After a few minutes, they pull to look at each other one last time.

"You should go." Elena nods, wiping her tears away, walking out the Salvatore tomb.

Ivy stepped towards her father, not ready for her turn to say goodbye. She felt a lot of emotions towards her father. Sadness for losing him, love for him being such a great father and anger for feeling he was being selfish.

The redhead gave Ric a sad smile, trying not to cry and making the goodbye harder. "Can I not change your mind? We could spend forever together." She quietly begged her dad, not knowing what she was going to do without him.

"No, kiddo. I know, me not going through with the transition is going to hurt but the reasons why …"

"I know dad, I know. I just I'm going to miss you" Ivy's voice started to break as reality set in. "I feel like I haven't spent enough time with you." Alaric pulled his daughter into a bear hug. "I thought I was going to have the rest of my life to make more memories with you. To have more of those silly movie nights." They both chuckled at their silly tradition. "I feel like we have so many more things to do and now, it's never going to happen." Alaric listened to his daughter begin to sob, feeling the tears drench the front of his shirt. Alaric felt tears of his own begin to pool in his eyes, agreeing with everything his daughter said.

"Kiddo listen to me; I'm going to be there with you through everything. You may not be able to see me, but I'll be there. You can talk to me whenever you want and know that I'm listening." Alaric peered down to look at his daughter, he smiled at the wonderful woman she had become. "I'm so proud of you, kid. You've turned into this awesome young woman and you'll only get better. I know it will be tough, but you'll get through this." Alaric felt his voice hitch when his little girl looked up at him with her watery blue eyes. "Because you are stronger than you know. You're going to have an amazing life filled with happiness and I'm going to watch from the other side. I'm going to need you to look after Jeremy and Elena for me too. They need someone to look after them" Alaric felt his daughter nod as he bent down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Ivy."

"I love you too dad." The two of them continued to embrace for a while longer until it was time to part. Ivy held her dad's hand as she made her way out of the tomb. Her hand slipped from his as she went to join the others who had gathered outside.

Alaric was amazed to see all the people he called friends, standing outside the tomb. Elena and Stefan, Damon, Caroline and Tyler, Matt, Bonnie, Jeremy, Meredith and his beautiful daughter Ivy. His eyes landed on Ivy trying to console a crying Meredith. The doctor leant on the younger Saltzman as she glanced at Alaric.

Alaric felt overwhelmed to see them all here. Each of them saying their own little goodbye with their eyes. He took in the picture before him as he slowly stepped backwards into the tomb and closing the gate.

He turned his back on the scene, not wanting people to see that he was struggling with this too. Dragging his hand down his face to try and compose himself, he sat down on the tomb floor waiting for the darkness.

* * *

People started to leave not wanting to see the last moments of Alaric Saltzman's life. This left Ivy, Damon and Meredith outside the tomb watching over him. Ivy and Damon were currently sat outside with a bottle of whiskey waiting for Meredith to exit the tomb.

The brunette doctor walked outside, putting up a strong facade at keeping it together. "I gave him a sedative. He'll fall asleep first. He'll go comfortably." Meredith spoke to the two vampires sitting outside. Ivy was about thank Meredith for her help, when Damon decided to jump in.

"Well… I offered to snap his neck, put him out of his misery but…he didn't take me up on it." Damon shrugged, not understanding why Alaric would refuse the offer. Ivy rolled her eyes over to Meredith who was shaking her head at Damon.

"You seem surprised."

"Well, you just think a guy so used to dying, wouldn't want to drag it out." Damon took a swig of whiskey from the bottle.

"Maybe, he was hoping for some saving grace at the last minute?" Ivy countered, snatching the bottle from Damon's hand to take her own swig.

"Well, it was nice of you to give him the option." Meredith tried to make Damon feel better. Meredith looked towards the tomb and sighed. "You shouldn't leave him alone in there."

"That's what he wants." Damon shrugged. Ivy looked to Damon in thought.

"Is it really what you think he wants?" Ivy asked Damon. Meredith walked away leaving the two to ponder. Ivy handed Damon the bottle of whiskey before entering the tomb to keep her father company.

The tomb was filled with lit candles creating somewhat of a peaceful atmosphere for Ric. The brooding man was sat on the floor against the back wall. His eyes were closed, feeling the pain of the slow death as he denied his body the blood it needed.

Ivy walked silently over to her father and sat on his left, reaching for his hand letting him know she was here. Ivy had a small smile on her face as Damon entered to join the two of them.

"Aw, Ric" Damon pitied the man clearly struggling in his final moments.

"Is this the part where you give me a dream? Rainbows and rolling green hill?" Alaric teased the blue-eyed vampire as he sat down on the other side of the dying history teacher.

"You don't seem like a rainbows guy." Ivy leaned forward to address Damon whilst reaching for the bottle of whiskey.

"Don't tell anyone it goes against my bad boy reputation. And you" Ivy chuckled. Bringing the bottle to her lips watching Damon pointing at her father, trying to be angry. "I was drunk when I told you that"

"Yeah and I told you I'd use it against you." The two men laughed, forgetting the reason they were all sat in the tomb.

"Damn you. Sorry I killed you. Twice." Damon took the bottle back from Ivy.

"Twice?!" Ivy looked to her father. She wondered why he was friends with the vampire, especially since he killed him twice.

"So, I have to actually die to get a real apology out of you."

"Well if we are confessing." Alaric turned to look at his daughter in intrigue. "I'm sorry I scratched your car when I was 17." Ivy cringed waiting for her father's reaction.

"I knew it!" Alaric feigned anger, before laughing at his daughter with the other two joining in after a beat.

"Drink." Damon offers the bottle to Alaric.

"Actually, I've been thinking about cutting back." Alaric accepted the bottle off Damon. All three of them looked forward, focusing on the candle's opposite. The motion of the flickering flame, hypnotising them during the difficult situation. Both vampires missing the single tear rolling down Alaric's cheek.

"Now is probably not the time to start." Ivy looks to her small hand holding her father's. She tries to take in everything single detail. Every mole and freckle, every wrinkle, the feel of his rough skin against hers. She knows she could never forget her father, but she wanted to remember the small things about him. The twitch in his lip when he was trying to stay angry at her and not smile. The way his hair looked when he just woke up and the sound of his laugh.

"Yeah, the stuff will kill ya." The three of them chuckled. Alaric took one final swig from the bottle, another tear falling as his end came closer.

The trio sat in the cemetery in silence passing the bottle between themselves. Waiting for Alaric to take his final breath.

* * *

A while later, Ivy went to take the bottle off Damon and saw her father's eyes were closed. His breathing became heavier, grabbing the attention of Damon as well. The two stared at Alaric as he took his final breath. His chest stopped moving and his pulse slowing to a stop.

Damon finished the rest of the bottle, placing it next to Alaric and exiting the tomb. Ivy felt a tear fall as she leant forward to kiss her dad's forehead. "Goodnight dad, I love you." She whispered before catching up with Damon.

As Damon was about to leave the tomb, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He spun around to Ivy, tear streaks stained on her cheek, holding onto his jacket. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you were here. I couldn't have done this alone." She smiled sadly at him, hoping her father and words meant something to him. Damon pulled his arm back, wrapping it around her shoulders. He led her out into the graveyard. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the cold night air hitting her face. She peered up seeing the dark outlines of the trees, the stars and the full moon in the sky.

"What are you doing here?" Ivy snapped her head to look in front of her to see Bonnie walking towards them. She was still dressed in her decade dance outfit with a blank look on her face. "Hey, Bonnie... What, are you sleepwalking or something?" Damon removed his arm from Ivy's shoulders. The two stepped apart when Bonnie walk between them.

"Bonnie? Are you okay?" Ivy reached out her hand to touch Bonnie. Before she could, Bonnie whipped around lifting her hand towards the two. Damon and Ivy fell to the ground, clutching their heads from the pain she was inflicting.

Ivy had never experienced a pain like this before. Even when Katherine killed her, she didn't really feel a thing. But this. This was too much. She felt like her brain was expanding, trying to break through her skull. It was like nails digging into her scalp, not stopping no matter how hard she tried.

Bonnie wandered into the tomb leaving the two vampires outside, writhing in pain. The witch used the indestructible white oak stake to pierce the flesh of her palm. The aroma of the fresh blood seemed to waft outside to the vampires.

The pain seemed to ease up, freeing Ivy's other senses and allowing her to smell the blood.

"Damon!" Her voice croaking, struggling to get the words out. "There's blood, I can smell it." She was finally able to crawl to check on Damon. She saw his expression easing up too. He opened his eyes to see the redhead hovering over him. The small black veins were starting to appear under her eyes.

Damon opened his mouth to reassure her, when a dull thud sounded from the tomb. Both looked towards the tomb to see Alaric standing in the entrance. He looked at both smiling, showing off his new vampire teeth. Bonnie's blood was smeared around his mouth from his first feast as a vampire. With the white oak stake in his hand, he ran out of the woods with tremendous speed. Only the trail of falling leaves as evidence that he was there.


	9. Chapter 9: Before Sunset

**AN: Hey guys, I know that the story is probably going a bit slow for some people but I have lots of plans for Season 4 and beyond! I just wanted to focus on Alaric and Ivy at the moment. The chapters will stick mostly to the script of each vampire diaries episode, but some important scenes in between. I also like a slow burn story because it's more realistic than ocs just falling in love with characters straight away. I hope you're enjoying it and there's actually people reading. Haven't decided Ivy's end game yet: Stefan, Damon, or Enzo. Let me know your thoughts and please review so I know I'm doing something right :)**

 **Chapter 9: Before Sunset**

The door to the Salvatore Boarding House opened slamming against the wall with a bang. Damon entered the house carrying a weakened Bonnie, blood oozing from her neck wound. A panicked Ivy followed, trying not to think about the delicious red juice. Damon hurried to gently place Bonnie down on one of the sofas in the parlor. He tried to make sure no blood stained the pillows. He sighed looking at another casualty of the Original family.

"Damon, what are we going to do? My dying father is now a vampire … vampire hunter." Ivy was in a frenzy, trying to exert some energy by pacing between the two sofas. Damon perched on the edge of the sofa by Bonnie, getting distracted by the pacing redhead.

"I know, I know. But, first, we have to deal with the bloodmobile here." Damon extended his fangs about to pierce the flesh of his wrist but was stopped by Ivy.

"I don't think she'll want to drink vampire blood after everything with her mom." Ivy cautioned Damon, trying to look out for her witchy friend. The blue-eye vampire jumped up, stepping in front of Ivy hoping to stop her pacing.

"What do you suggest?!" Damon snapped, the stress of the situation getting to him. First having to say goodbye to one of his only friends in Mystic Falls. Only for him to come back as the newest evil, which they needed to now defeat. He tried not to show that this was getting to him, but it was. He always felt he needed to be strong for the people around him, but sometimes it was too much. Maintaining a brave face was tiring.

"Let's give her the option" she reassured him not wanting another person angry at her. "And **you** need to calm down" Ivy poked Damon in the chest with every word. She took a small step back, attempting to get some of her personal space back.

"Calm down?!" Damon barked with a shake of his head. He rounded one of the sofas to the drinks cart, needing some salvation. "My drinking buddy, your dad, just got turned into a hunter hell bent on killing vampires." He poured a large quantity of bourbon into one of his crystal tumblers. "Which we are, by the way." Gulping the entire drink down in one, he let out a sigh, dropping his head. "Why didn't he accept my offer to snap his neck?"

"Because maybe he didn't want his friend to have his blood on his hands." Ivy raised her hands to make her point, letting them drop and slap against her thighs. She was still amazed that Damon was still focusing on this. Obviously not understanding the ideals of friendship.

"Well, isn't that sweet." Ivy rolled her eyes at Damon's sarcastic tone, clearly not in the mood.

"Hey, I'm freaking out just as much as you are. I had to say goodbye to my dad, only for him to come back to life as a completely different person." She put her head in her hands understanding how stupid that sounded. "Look, we need to tell Stefan and Caroline about this." The redhead lifted her head with her eyes following Damon as he walked back to meet her by Bonnie. "They are the other two targets in Mystic Falls." He nodded his head in agreement with the younger woman.

"Okay, Stefan is at Elena's, so let's go." Damon bends over to pick up Bonnie but was stopped by Ivy again. He huffs in response.

"Wait, do we tell Jeremy and Elena? They can't grieve him just to lose him again. They've been through so much already." He turned his head to address her, still hovering over Bonnie.

The two vampires heard Bonnie's breathing pick up. Her eyes slowly opening to see Damon. "Damon?" Ivy moved from behind Damon to crouch down next to Bonnie.

"Hey Bon, how you feeling?" Ivy softly questioned, stroking the brunette's arm.

"What happened?" The witch's face frowned trying to recall how she got here and why she was feeling like this.

"Short version, you fed Alaric turning him into a crazed vampire stalker." The female Saltzman swatted Damon's arm at the description of events.

"Hey, that's my dad you're talking about."

"Hmm, not really." Damon shrugged at Ivy. He turned back to Bonnie, his demeanour changing showing his softer side. "Do you want me to heal you?"

Bonnie took a beat to think, her mom coming into her mind but ultimately deciding she wanted the blood. Bonnie nodded answering Damon's question. He pierced his wrist with his fangs, handing it to Bonnie for her to drink. Damon turned to Ivy with a smirk that read 'I told you so'.

"Okay, so I was wrong" Ivy poked her tongue out at Damon. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of a better comeback than poking her tongue out. Both parties were taking their frustrations out on each other instead of the real target. The Mikaelsons.

Bonnie finished drinking Damon's blood, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Ivy watched in jealousy of the action, realising she hadn't fed in a while. Damon began to get impatient, he assisted Bonnie off the sofa. His blood was having a slow effect on the witch. She still seemed pale, sore and not entirely aware of her surroundings.

"Let's go." Damon grabbed onto Bonnie helping her walk towards the front door. Ivy followed a step behind, leaving for the Gilbert's house.

* * *

The powder blue Chevy Camaro stopped outside the Gilbert house. Ivy jumped out the car to let Bonnie out behind her. She grabbed the brunette's hand, giving her support to get out the car. Still a little weakened by last night's events. Ivy noticed that Damon's blood wasn't working at the same speed it normally did. Bonnie's neck wound wasn't fully healed. Esther's magic had more of an effect on her than anybody realised.

The three of them made their way up to the front door, Damon taking over from Ivy with assisting Bonnie. Ivy walked ahead to ring the doorbell. She hoped Stefan answered instead of one of the Gilbert siblings. They waited a few second in silence, Damon and Bonnie now joining Ivy at the door.

The white wood door opened to Stefan, dressed dark clothing as always. He was puzzled at the scene in front of him. A nervous looking Ivy and a weakened Bonnie still in her decade dance outfit being held up by Damon.

"We have a problem." Damon announced. Stefan opened the door further, moving out the way for the three of them to come in. Damon took Bonnie into the kitchen, setting her down on ones of the stools. Ivy waited behind to talk to Stefan about the Gilbert's.

"Hey, how are they doing?" She nodded upstairs, shoving her hands into the front pockets of her jeans.

"They are dealing with it the best they can. Keeping themselves busy by painting his room." Stefan told Ivy sadly, both walking towards the kitchen, Stefan placing a hand on the small of Ivy's back. Ivy nodded understanding the hole that her father has left.

The pair strolled into the kitchen. Stefan getting a towel for Bonnie's neck wound, ready to divulge in the events of last night. Ivy took a seat next to Bonnie, which was stupid due to the blood that was currently in her eye line. Stefan and Damon were on the opposite side of the island.

"So… uh bad news. Alaric turned and is now a vampire." Damon decided to rip the band aid off and get this over with. Stefan looked between the other three, looking at their stone-faced expressions.

"What do you mean he turned? I thought you were standing guard!"

"Don't blame me. Blame Bonnie the blood bank. She fed him." Damon gestured angrily towards Bonnie, showing everyone how he felt about the situation.

"I had no idea what was happening. Okay, the witches led me there. They wanted him to feed so he turned." Bonnie stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So, where's the stake now?" Stefan questioned the three, ignoring the bickering between Damon and Bonnie.

"Oh, you mean the white oak one? The one that can kill an Original and wipe out an entire line of vampires?" The blue-eyed vampire glared more and more at Bonnie with every word. He was about to tell Stefan he didn't know where it was when Ivy decided to jump in.

"Yeah, that's with daddy dearest. Well, evil daddy dearest."

"If you are so upset with me, why did you feed me your blood to save my life?" Bonnie cracked. She wanted to know the answer to the question currently plaguing her mind.

"Because I do stupid things, Bonnie. I do things, like let my friend die with dignity when I should have just killed him." Ivy rolled her eyes at Damon for bringing it up again.

"Damon, let it go." It was Ivy's time to receive a glare from Damon. He still believed that he was right, and he should have killed Alaric painlessly. Stefan was beginning to get frustrated with the three other people in the room.

"Alright so how do we kill him now?"

"I've been trying to figure that out. A witch can't truly make an immortal creature, there is always a way to undo a spell." Bonnie removed the towel from the neck, the wound finally healing. Ivy watched closely as she placed the blood-soaked rag on the top of the counter. She could feel herself salivating at the thought of ingesting Bonnie's blood. The sound of Damon's voice and the slap of his hands on the marble counter brought her back.

"So, what's the witchy work around?"

"That's the problem. I don't know." Bonnie shrugged looking worried at the Salvatore brothers across from her.

The doorbell rang through the Gilbert House. Heavy footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Ivy listened in to Jeremy answering the door. Then she heard that infuriating British accent she knew all too well. Ivy lifted her head, making eye contact with Stefan aware that he heard the interaction too. Stefan nodded towards the front door, to provide Jeremy with some back up.

"Now is that any way to treat a guest?" Klaus taunted Jeremy, standing on the porch of the Gilbert house. His famous smirk painted on his face with his normal superior demeanour.

"When the guest is you, yes, it is." Ivy replied annoyed that the original vampire was here. Klaus watched Ivy and Stefan strut towards the door. Stopping just behind Jeremy trying to intimidate the older vampire.

"What are you doing here Klaus?" Stefan demanded, placing a hand on the door behind Jeremy.

"Well, for starters, young Jeremy here could show some manners and invite me inside."

"Yeah… Not going to happen." Ivy crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to look tough in front of Klaus. She heard footsteps behind her and noticed Damon came to stand beside her. Stefan stepped in front of Jeremy, protecting him from any swift action Klaus might take.

"Jeremy, why don't you go to your room?" Stefan suggested to Jeremy, not looking away from Klaus. Jeremy hesitated wanting to be where the action is. Tired of being seen as the lowly human that can't 'protect' himself.

"Now." Damon boomed at Jeremy, making the young man sigh, obeying Damon and walking up the stairs.

"Hmm, poor lad. Loses one questionable father figure only to be replaced by the likes of the three of you." Ivy sarcastically smiled back at Klaus' comment.

"Yeah, about that. Something happened." Damon kicked his feet, stepping towards the door to inform Klaus of recent incident.

"Oh, I know all about my mother's invulnerable little creation and that's why I'm here. I'm leaving town, just need to pick up a few road trip necessities. Spare tire, flashlight, doppelgänger." Klaus stepped forward threatening the three vampires.

"Can't help you there." Ivy shrugs at Klaus. Damon clapped Stefan on the shoulder. Pulling the younger Salvatore away from the door so he could slam it in the original vampires' face. Damon and Ivy moved into the living room whilst Stefan moved towards the stairs.

"Elena!" No response.

The younger Salvatore raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time, worry brewing in the pit of his stomach. He walked into Alaric's old room to see Jeremy continuing to paint, but Elena nowhere in sight. "Where is she?"

"I don't know, she was just here a few minutes ago." Jeremy turned to answer Stefan, not seeing the danger of the situation. Stefan huffed, walking back out the room and down the stairs to meet up with the others.

"Where is she?" Ivy questioned. Her eyes followed Stefan as he appeared on the landing and skipped down the stairs.

"She's not here."

"What do you mean she's not here? Where did she go?" Damon challenged him, moving towards his brother. Bonnie walked into the living room to join the trio,

"What's going on?" The witch's eye followed Damon walking towards the living room window. He parted the blinds to peek at Klaus. Stefan and Ivy walked into the room, interested in what he was doing on the porch.

"Klaus wants in; we have to keep him out." Damon and the others watched as Klaus pulled back his arm, ready to throw the newspaper. Damon moved away, predicting what Klaus' new plan was to get into the house.

"Ah, duck" Stefan grabbed Ivy, pulling her to the floor, just as the newspaper collided with glass window. The glass shattered spreading across the entire room. Embedding itself into the fabric of the curtains, pillows and sofas. Ivy felt tiny shards hitting her skin but was too distracted by Stefan practically on top of her. He was protecting her from harm. Ivy forgot that Damon and Bonnie were also in the room when the window smashed.

"I think you're probably gonna want to let me in." Klaus shouted from outside. His voice slightly clearer now the barrier between him and the others was broken.

Stefan jumped up from Ivy, holding his hand out to help her up. She missed the warmth of his body against hers, placing her hand in his to feel it again. When he pulled her up, she was almost flush against him again. He peered down at her, meeting her eyes, examining her to see if she was alright. They seemed to be in their own little world for a while. She took in every small golden fleck in his green eyes. Completely preoccupied with each other, totally ignoring the other two in the room. who were also slowly getting up from the floor.

Stefan caught Damon looking at the two out of the corner of his eye. The young Salvatore cleared his throat stepping away from the redhead. Remembering the current dangerous situation, they were in. Stefan moved towards the window on the other side of the front door, to peer out slightly. He saw Klaus walking towards the neighbour's house and the absence of Elena's car outside.

"Elena's car is gone." Stefan stated meeting the others in the kitchen, who thought it was best to be far away from the raging vampire. He noticed that Ivy wouldn't look at him, and the slight redness of her cheeks.

"Why wouldn't she tell anyone where she was going?" Bonnie thought out loud. Jeremy came into the kitchen, hearing the commotion from upstairs.

Suddenly, the front door bursts and a blur of black and white follows. Klaus had launched a football into the house, after finding more ammo outside. Klaus hurls a white picket into the house which narrowly misses Damon's head. The picket landed with a thud as it got embedded in the wall behind him.

"Missed me!" Damon taunted Klaus earning him a glare from Ivy. She ducked behind the kitchen counter, not wanting to die from a flying picket.

"Get down!" Stefan grabs Bonnie and Jeremy and pulls them down to the ground.

Damon decides to pull out the picket embedded into the wall and throws it back to Klaus. The picket grazed over Klaus' shoulder, making a small mark on the jacket he was wearing. Klaus broke the other picket in two, increasing his chance at hitting the smug Salvatore. He chucked half of it at Damon again, but instead hit a picture, shattering the glass.

"Missed me again!"

"Stop provoking him!" Ivy cried at Damon, pulling him down to the ground to join the rest of them. Klaus threw the other picket into the house just as Stefan's phone sounded. He looked at the caller ID to see Alaric calling him.

"Alaric." Stefan was deadpan in his answer. Ivy's head lifted looking at Stefan when he said her father's name. She listened to the call, hearing that her 'father' has Elena and Caroline hostage at the high school. Stefan rushed to the front door to inform the impatient original. Klaus had grabbed a propane tank and set a roll of newspaper on fire.

"Put it out!" Stefan scolded Klaus, almost like telling off a child.

"Why don't you come outside and make me?" Klaus teased Stefan. Stefan stepped outside, showing he wasn't afraid of Klaus. Especially when he had information the original vampire didn't.

"Elena's not here. Alaric has her and Caroline and he's gonna kill them both unless you turn yourself over to him." Stefan explained. Klaus threw the newspaper and propane tank in opposite directions.

"Now, I know you're not asking me to walk into a certain death."

"I really wish we could. But unfortunately, if Alaric kills you there's one in four chance that we could die too."

"I'll take those odds." Damon stated waiting for the perfect time to enter the conversation. A white splintered picket over his shoulder.

"Do you have a death wish?!" Ivy walked outside to join the men, hitting Damon in the stomach as she walked past. Stefan looked at Damon.

"And a hundred percent chance that Tyler dies."

"I'm good with that too."

"Why don't we just figure out a way to put Alaric down?" Klaus and Stefan began pacing on the porch. Damon was leaning against the picket on the right whilst Ivy was sat on the porch fence on the left. All of them deep in thought on how to defeat their common enemy. After a few minutes, Klaus stops and spins on his heel to face them.

"Okay, how about Damon sneaks in and distracts Alaric, while Stefan grabs Elena and carries her to safety? Klaus suggested.

"Huh, that's a great idea. What's to stop me from getting killed instantly?" Damon pushes himself off the fence to step in front of Klaus

"Nothing." Klaus says with a shake of his head, not giving a crap about the older Salvatore. Ivy moved between the two, pushing Damon back away from the original.

"Caroline's in there. Don't you have a thing for here? Or did she just reject you too many times?" Damon puts out his bottom lip at the end of his sentence, taunting Klaus with puppy dog eyes.

"This is not helping." Ivy turned around, moving next to Stefan, having had enough of the two bickering.

At a perfectly timed moment, Bonnie walked out of the house with a slight spring in her step. "I might have an idea. My mom used a desiccation spell on Mikael that immobilized him for over 15 years. If I can get it, I might be able to use it on Alaric."

"If and might? Your words inspire such confidence." Klaus replied sarcastically. Bonnie glared at the blonde, knowing she could do this.

"I'll get it. But even with the spell, we'll need a lot of vampire muscle to take him down. Including yours." Bonnie pointed at Klaus, try to make him understand that he was part of a team now.

"What else is needed?" Ivy stepped towards Bonnie.

"That's all I know right now. My mum is coming down to meet me." Ivy nodded feeling like they could do this. They may have a solution.

"Just so we're clear, the sun sets in about eight hours. If we don't succeed before then, Elena will be dead, I'll be gone and the rest of you will be left to fend for yourselves." Klaus threatened before leaving with a flourish.

"You guys do what you have to do. I'll stay here with Jeremy and let us know what's going on." Ivy suggested, not wanting to leave Jeremy alone right now. She was scared that he would go to the high school, guns blazing, not thinking about himself. Bonnie and Damon nodded, going to the Salvatore Boarding house to meet Abby. Stefan stayed for a beat before smiling softly at the redhead to go keep an eye on the original. Ivy walked into the house listening to Jeremy painting. His faster than normal pulse throbbing in her ears.

* * *

Jeremy and Ivy jumped into her old red mustang to leave for the high school after getting off the phone with Bonnie. Jeremy was nervous about Elena, only having each other now.

Ivy wanted to stay something, but she knew any words she said wouldn't help ease his anxiety.

Jeremy felt like he was permanently worrying about his sister. Now that they were a part of the supernatural world. She was a doppelganger which made her a prime target for plenty of spells and creatures. He knew he wouldn't be around to protect her 24/7, what kind of life would that be. He was going to try his hardest to be the rock his sister needed.

The mustang pulled up to the high school, no one else there at the moment. Jeremy jumped out walking towards an old bench he used to hang out with Vicki at. Ivy hesitated for a second looking at the young man. Her hand unconsciously gripping her engagement ring in her hand. She let him have some time for himself before getting out the car and joining him.

Ivy jumped onto the bench, sitting on the table next to Jeremy. The young Gilbert took no notice, his stare stuck on the ring on his finger. She took the chain her ring was on from underneath her shirt, playing with the silver circle in the palm of her hand.

"It's funny how something that means so much to you, can also be a constant reminder of what you've lost." As Ivy started to talk, Jeremy looked up see the sapphire ring in her hands. "This is my engagement ring given to me by my fiancé Noah. He was the most amazing guy I've ever met. I think you two would have got on." Ivy eyes were locked on to the ring in her hands, either side gripped between two fingers. Hypnotised by the sapphire stone in the middle. "Sadly, two years ago, I made a friend against my will. Katherine came to my town, compelling everyone. She paid special attention to Noah and me. I'm still unsure why." She turned her head to look at Jeremy, tears slowly forming in her eyes. "Anyway, when she turned me, she made me feed on him. I drained him of his blood straight away, I couldn't help myself. Katherine left me with him in my arms, dead. I buried him in the park where we had our first date." She looked down in shame, already aware that Jeremy had a dislike towards vampires. "I wore the ring for a while, not being able to tell people that Noah was dead. Every time I looked at it, I was reminded that he was gone, and it was because of me. So, I decided to wear it around my neck instead, so I'm not constantly reminded but I know it's still there."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jeremy asked, intently listening to the woman next to him.

"Because not all vampires have choice, Jer. I know you don't like them, but I wanted to tell you my story to show that we are still human underneath. I lost someone I loved, and you have too. I know how you're feeling right now. God, I'm still worried about my dad and he's not exactly him." Ivy looked confused at Jeremy, not knowing how to describe the situation with her dad. "When Alaric died, he made me promise to look out for you two and I intend to keep that promise. I know we haven't known each other long, but I wanted you to know you have someone." Ivy wrapped an arm around Jeremy, feeling protective over the younger Gilbert. He gave her a sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, looking back to the ring on his finger.

Ivy tucked the necklace back under her shirt when she saw Bonnie and Damon making their way over. Bonnie was showing Damon something on her phone. Some kind of locator linked to Caroline and Elena. Damon approached Jeremy and held out his hand. The sweet moment between the two was ruined.

"Hand it over" Damon demanded.

"I'm not giving you my ring. Let me do this." Jeremy plead, wanting to save his sister for once.

"By my math, you've already bit it once, this will be twice. Wearing that thing and if for some reason, Bonnie can't restart your heart and you do indeed die. Then before you know it, we have another psycho alter ego case on our hands, which is bad so give me the ring."

"This is my ring, Elena's my sister. No one's gonna fight harder for her than me."

"We know Jeremy, but we're going to save her. We got this." Ivy stroked Jeremy's back, hoping to comfort the young man. Damon rolled his eyes, sighing, letting Jeremy win this one.

"Try not to kill him, will you?" Damon addressed Bonnie with somewhat of a light threat. Klaus and Stefan walked towards the group, ready to go over the plan.

"Look at this, one big, happy family." Klaus couldn't help himself.

Bonnie pulled out a small vial of her blood, handing it to Damon. "Drink this. It's my blood. It bridges us all together so that when I stop Jeremy's heart, you'll have the power to stop Alaric's." Ivy nodded along, still feeling panicked about 'attacking' her dad. "You need to make a physical connection to his bloodstream; a vein, artery, something connected to his heart." Damon drank some of the blood from the vial, willing himself to stop and leave some for the rest of the group. Damon handed the small vial to Stefan, who took it with shaky hands.

"If one of us gets a clean shot, take it, the other three; hold him down." Stefan take a swig of the blood before passing it to Ivy. She reaches for the vial quickly, but Stefan pulled back making her focus on him. "Try and remember that this isn't Alaric." Ivy nodded, reaching for the vial again. She takes a swig, feeling the thick liquid roll down her throat, igniting the thirst within her. She takes a moment, to fight the urge and calm herself before her veins appear. Forcing herself to stop in disappointment, she hands the rest to Klaus.

"Before we all walk through these doors, let's get on the same page, shall we?" Klaus looked at each of them, letting them know it was about to get serious. "I was the one who created your vampire bloodline. Therefore, I am responsible for your lives and Tyler's life, Caroline's life, and of course, Abby's life, should anything go wrong."

"Or you're lying to save your ass." Damon calls him out, not believing a word that comes out of the blonde's mouth.

"I'm not lying." He takes a step closer to Damon. "But go ahead, call my buff, let the teach kill me. You'll all be dead soon thereafter." Klaus finished off the blood, chucking the empty vial behind him, letting it shatter on the floor.

Ivy rolled her eyes, walking towards the back entrance to the school. "Let's just get this over with" Stefan and Damon followed Ivy. Klaus walked in the opposite direction towards the other entrance, leaving Jeremy and Bonnie behind.

The plan was for Klaus to go in to rescue his damsel in distress and to make initial contact with Alaric. The other three vampires were left to ambush the history teacher to overpower him. Bonnie and Jeremy were performing the spell in the woods. Where Bonnie was able to be in touch with nature, increasing her magic.

* * *

The struggle between Elena and Alaric echoed through the halls. Letting the trio to pinpoint their location. They crept along, trying not to make a sound which would alert the vampire hunter in front of them. The three of them, were hiding behind one of the hallway doors, waiting for the perfect time to pounce.

Ivy could tell the Salvatore's were struggling to watch Alaric pin Elena against the row of lockers. His hand gripping her throat. Tiny movements from both boys as they restrained themselves to not intervene.

"Do it! Kill me!" Elena shouted in Alaric's face, hoping to effect human Alaric. Ric started to release Elena from his grasp, stumbling backwards. It looked as though Alaric was normal again. Evoking an emotional reaction after almost killing Elena.

Suddenly, it was all ruined, when Stefan and Damon charged Alaric. The men grabbed both of his arms, restraining him waiting for Ivy to take the plunge. She made her way towards the three of them, but it seemed this version of her father was more powerful. Alaric shoved Damon towards the lockers, shocking the older Salvatore at the speed. Alaric wrapped both his arms around Stefan, holding him horizontally. He dropped Stefan onto his knee, quickly snapping his back. Ivy rushed towards the scene as Stefan limply fell to the ground. Damon shakes himself out of his trance, moving towards Ric to attack. Before Damon could touch him, Ric vamps behind him to break his neck, making him fall parallel to his brother.

Ivy paused hoping the vampire hunter hadn't heard her during all the commotion. She's a step or two behind him. The female vampire pulled back her arm ready to force herself into his chest. However, in the blink of an eye, darkness consumed her as the hunter snapped her neck.


	10. Chapter 10: Keep Your Enemies Closer

**Chapter 10: Keep Your Enemies Closer**

The feeling of the cold tiled floor felt heaven on the back of Ivy's neck, soothing the dull ache that appeared. She could hear the someone's phone ringing in the distance, the sound getting louder and louder. A groan emitted from the back of her throat, not wanting to open her eyes, enjoying the darkness too much.

The redhead rolled to her left, opening her left eye slightly to see a black mass on the floor next to her. As her eyes focused, the dark mass became more detailed to reveal Damon Salvatore. She could see his mouth move, but his voice still sounded far away. Her body began to heal itself a bit more; regaining feeling in her limbs and back. Something began to prod her in the back, almost like when someone pokes an animal with a stick to see if it's still alive. She rolled onto her back, to see her father towering over her, his boot gently kicking her.

"Get up." Alaric demanded, Ivy regained her hearing. She tried to sit up, struggling to perform the simplest of moves. She watches Damon with envy, as he stands up, obviously having his neck snapped before. He held out a hand for her, which she accepted. She leaned on him while the muscles in her legs got used to her weight and built up their strength. "I said get up." Alaric moved over to Stefan, who Ivy finally noticed. "Klaus is gonna kill Elena."

"What are you talking about?" Ivy asked stumbling over to Stefan to help him up.

"Klaus needs Elena's blood to make hybrids. She's the last person that he'd kill." Stefan reasoned with 'Ric'.

"The witch bound my life to Elena's. If she dies, I die. Klaus figured that out and now he's taken her. Now, I'm trapped here until the sun goes down, so you two better get doing what you do best. Saving Elena's life." Alaric stormed between the Salvatore brothers, knocking them both out of the way. Ivy's head followed the form of her father as he stomped down the hallway.

"I know you're still in there." Alaric stopped at the sound of Ivy's voice, his back to her. "I'll get you back." The three vampires left the older man standing there, frozen to the spot. The vampire in him aware that she meant something to this vessel. He felt like he wasn't in control of his body. He was fighting something that wanted to chase down the woman and hold her.

As he heard the footsteps disappear, he was finally able to move again. He continued his patrol around the school until nightfall.

* * *

All three of them heard the struggle between Tyler and Klaus from outside the mansion. They followed the sounds into a darkened parlour decorated with deep reds and greys. Klaus had his hand in Tyler's chest, attempting to grab the hybrids heart. Tyler panicked feeling Klaus' fingertips graze his heart. His mind went to Caroline helping him find the strength to overpower Klaus by twisting his arm round. Stefan and Damon saw the opening and ambushed the original. Tyler and Damon held his arms down, allowing Stefan plunging his hand into Klaus' chest.

Ivy ran to help Elena, putting her at a safe distance in case the original got himself free. Ivy saw the sorrow filled express on Klaus' face towards Stefan. Klaus believed they were friends at one point, but that was a different time.

The pearl white skin of the blonde original began to turn an ash grey as he began to desiccate. All the vampires in the room listened to his heartbeat slow down, waiting for silence. Damon moved to Ivy and Elena, feeling Klaus weaken, no longer needing three vampires to hold him down.

Damon assisted Elena to her feet, walking her towards the foyer of the mansion. He wanted to get the brunette away from the temporary death of Klaus Mikaelson.

Stefan glared at the older vampire with hard eyes. Everything that Klaus forced him to go through, running through his mind. Compelling him to forget about Chicago, making him feed to save Damon and the summer with Klaus.

removing his hand from his chest, as the original became completely immobilised. Tyler lowered him to the ground, resting him on the floor of the parlour. Tyler, Stefan and Ivy towered over him, making sure the spell worked. That they were finally free from the torture of the evil vampire.

"We should get her home before the sun sets." Stefan nodded towards Elena, who was standing in the doorway supported by Damon. They all walked out of the mansion, home to the former evil, into a Mystic Falls that felt a little bit safer.

* * *

The Chevy Camaro and cherry red Mustang stopped outside the Gilbert house. Ivy and Elena emerged from the Mustang, whilst the Salvatores exited the Damon's Camaro. Ivy could feel the brewing tension between the Elena and the brothers.

"You two are really gonna walk me all the way to the door, aren't you?" Elena walked in front of the boys, towards her front door. Damon and Stefan acting them two parents following their child as they learn to walk for the first time.

"You lost a lot of blood today." Stefan lent an arm for Elena to hold onto as she went ups the couple of steps to the porch.

"I've got Ivy here, but I told you I'm fine, I just - I have a little headache."

"Yeah, but the sun's about to go down and Ric's gonna be able to terrorize the streets any minute." Damon warned Elena.

"Guys, I've got it from here. She's in good hands." Ivy stepped between the brothers, opening the door for the brunette.

"I'll uh- I'll call you when we get back." Stefan stuttered as he and Damon turned to leave. Ivy felt like Elena needed to talk to the gentlemen, so she nodded at Elena and entered the Gilbert house.

She took off her jacket, putting it on the banister of the stairs. Dragging a hand through her wavy hair, she could hear laughter from the kitchen. She walked towards the sound, tilting her head in curiosity.

Turning the corner, Caroline, Jeremy, Matt, Tyler and Bonnie were in the kitchen. It seems like a foreign scene to the older woman, who watched the teens acting like teens for once. She smiled watching Bonnie cut up limes for the shots Caroline was pouring. Matt was standing at the end of the island, joking around with Caroline. Tyler was looking for more glasses whilst Jeremy put pizza boxes on the table.

Elena came up next to her to see all her friends in her kitchen. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Welcome to our victory party!" Caroline announced to the two women entering the room.

"What victory? We failed. Alaric's still out there."

"We know, but we've been trying to get rid of Klaus forever and Caroline convinced us to enjoy it for a night." Bonnie informed Elena as she came to stand next to Caroline and Ivy moved between Matt and Bonnie.

"She's right Elena, you guys are teenagers. You need to start acting like it." Ivy picked up a shot of tequila. "And this is definitely acting like it." The others chuckled.

"You know, to be honest, I'm a little pissed none of you let me help you take down Original brother number two." Matt placed his arm around Tyler.

"Yeah, he would have taken you right down to the hospital, bro" Ivy smiled at Tyler and Matt bantering.

"Please, I'm more stealth than that. I'm like a ninja."

"Yeah, you wish" Jeremy joined in earning a swat from Matt. Caroline moved towards Elena, stood by the table in the room, handing her the shot of tequila

"Here. You need this." Elena looked at her blonde friend quizzically. "I heard. And you know that sooner or later, you're gonna have to choose, right?" Elena nodded understanding. She didn't want to think about the decision, at least not for tonight.

"I know." Tyler approached the two, holding his hand out for Elena.

"Hey, give me your hand." Elena obeyed as Tyler poured salt on the edge of her hand.

"Thank you for standing up to Klaus like that." Tyler smiled at Elena, finally being free from the sire bond and enjoying being his own person again.

"Let's just say it's been a long time coming"

"Way too long" Caroline placed her arm around Tyler's waist. Happy to have her boyfriend back where he belonged.

"All right, let's drink!" The three of them made their way back to the group, all standing around the island.

"As your newly appointed guardian, courtesy of Alaric Saltzman, I do not condone this." Jeremy pouted at Ivy. "But I'll make an exception this once, because you almost died." The group raised their shots to their mouths about to drink but were stopped by Tyler.

"Hang on. Do you guys hear that?" Panicked etched its way onto everyone's faces. Worried they wouldn't be able to have one night to themselves. They all remained silent for a moment, listening for something. "That is the sound of a Klaus-free life." They all laugh at Tyler's antics.

"To a Klaus-free life" Elena beamed as she raised her glass again and the others follow. "And to all you. My family." The group clinked their glass together in the centre, before downing their shots. Bonnie skipped into the living room to turn some music on, making the room cheer.

Ivy grabbed Elena and Jeremy's arms, nodding towards the hallway for a quick chat. They escaped the mayhem for a second.

"Hey Ivy, what's up?" Jeremy asked curiously looking at the redhead.

"Look I wanted you guys to know, I told my dad I'd be here for you and a Saltzman never breaks a promise. So, I'm thinking about selling my place and moving here?" Elena and Jeremy's eyebrows raised at Ivy's suggestion.

"You'd do that for us?" Elena cried in happiness, Jeremy wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I know I haven't known you guys long, but my dad was like a father figure to you. You're still young, plus I know what it's like to not have one parent around there let alone two." Ivy reached forward to stroke the tops of Elena and Jeremy's arms. "So yes, I would do this for you two." Elena and Jeremy beamed pulling Ivy into an embrace, happy to have guidance again. The trio pulled away to look at each other. Elena's eyes were watery from happiness, completely ignoring the headache.

"We just painted Ric's room that horrible colour." Jeremy laughed.

"I can find my own place. I don't have to stay here." The Gilberts shook their head at the vampire.

"You're staying here." Elena demanded, trying to be forceful. Jeremy and Ivy laughed at the brunette as they walked back into the kitchen to join the little party. "Ivy's moving here!" Elena announced to everyone. The rest of the group cheered, Caroline ran over to hug Ivy with glee, pulling away to hand her another shot. Ivy chuckled throwing back the shot to join the girls dancing whilst the boys ate the rest of the pizza.

* * *

Ivy needed to get some fresh air after too much dancing in the hot house. She sat on the swing on the front porch, gently swaying back and forth. The slight breeze, blew through her copper coloured curls, cooling her down a bit. She looked around at the suburban paradise. She took in the white picket fences, the lawns where kids could play happily. The picturesque street made her think about the future she planned with Noah.

Luckily her thoughts were interrupted by a drunk blonde vampire. Caroline tripped out the door and into the porch, saving herself before she hit the floor. She had discarded her jacket, obviously having the same thinking as Ivy.

"Hey V!" Caroline fanned herself stumbling towards the vampire on the swing. She threw herself on the swing lazily, resting her head on Ivy's shoulder. Ivy laughed at the blonde next to her.

"V?" Ivy asked with a slight laugh.

"Yeah it's my new nickname for you." Ivy nodded in response, not hating Caroline's new nickname for her. "I'm so happy you're moving here." Caroline mumbled. Her hair had fallen over her face, the blonde not making an effort to lift her arm and sweep it out of her vision.

"Yeah, me too. But I'm going to miss my little bungalow." Ivy pouted thinking about her little home by the coast. It was her safe house for a while, trying to figure out the whole vampire thing.

"You lived there with Noah?" Caroline peered up at her, blowing the hair out of her face. "Do you miss him?"

"Every day" the redhead whispered. The two sat in silence for a while as Ivy pondered something, wondering if she should talk to Caroline about it. "Can I ask you something?" She felt Caroline nod against her shoulder. "It's been two years; do you think it's too soon to start to feel something for someone else? Like I'll always love Noah, but I still want that epic love, you know?"

Caroline sat up to look her friend in the eye. The blonde placed her hand on top of Ivy's. "He would want you to move on V. He would want you to find a love and get married, not mourn him for the rest of your life." Caroline comforted Ivy, smiling at the young woman. Ivy nodded trying not to let the tears fall. Caroline began to feel joy of a potential new romance in Mystic Falls. Her legs started jumping from excitement, Ivy laughed at her manic over the top friend. "So, who is-" Caroline was cut off by a giddy Bonnie exiting the house onto the porch.

"What are you guys doing out here? There's a dance party going on!" She laughed grabbing Caroline and Ivy, pulling them back inside the house.

The group of teens couldn't believe they were having a supernatural free night. They could live their lives and enjoy themselves. Well, for now anyway.

* * *

Ivy watched from the porch as Tyler walked off with a drunken Caroline in his arms. The blonde dropped her head, looking upside down at Ivy, waving with a goofy grin on her face. Ivy laughed, shaking her head, closing the door to the Gilbert house. She could hear Jeremy and Elena talking upstairs, so she decided to grab a glass of water for bed. The kitchen was a mess of pizza boxes, red plastic cups and empty bottles. Ivy grabbed a clean glass, filling it up with water, humming a song she couldn't get out of her head. Looking around the room, she decided to clean up tomorrow, leaving it for her future self.

As she headed up the stairs, Jeremy exited Alaric's room to go to his own. "Night Jer" Ivy told Jeremy, who smiled in response as his own goodnight. Ivy headed into Elena's room where the brunette set up a futon on the floor. Ivy placed the glass on Elena's dressing table. Her eyes wandered to a picture of the Gilbert family. The four of them taking the usual family picture in the garden during a BBQ. They looked like a normal carefree American family. Ivy looked at Miranda and Grayson, seeing the resemblance in their offspring. Elena had a photo of a cheerful Jenna just above the family one. Ivy remembered the ginger haired woman, she thought she was perfect for her father. She would watch them banter back and forth, glad her dad had found someone like her after the mess of Isobel.

Ivy grabbed a grey v neck shirt and some red plaid full length pyjama bottoms from her bag to change into.

As she exited the bathroom, feeling so comfortable, she heard a thud from the other room. She peered out the bedroom door into the hallway. A light appearing from the doorway of her father's room. The vampire shuffled towards the room, hoping to convince Elena to get some sleep.

"Elena, come on. It's late you should be-" she stopped herself.

Ivy's eyes widened seeing Elena lying on the wooden floor of the spare room. The brunette's face facing the opposite wall, her hair splayed behind her. Little specks of green paint of the ankles of Elena's jeans, where she had dropped the brush as she fell. Ivy rushed towards her, falling to her knees to examine the young girl. Ivy placed both hands on either side of Elena's face, her palm coming into contact with Elena's blood. Trying to ignore the hunger, she focused on the matter at hand. This didn't look like something supernatural. Ivy then remembered that Elena had been complaining of a headache for most of the night.

"JEREMY!" Ivy screamed, still on the floor, not wanting to leave Elena. Jeremy manically ran into the room, his hands combing through his hair in distress.

"What?... What happened?" Ivy could hear his voice break, worried for his sister.

"Call 911, Jer." Jeremy was frozen to the spot, staring at the blood under Elena's nose. "Jeremy." He was focused on his sister. "Jeremy" Ivy raised her voice to get his attention. His eyes drifted to meet hers. "Call 911".

Jeremy obeyed, running from the room to get his phone. Ivy heard the dial tones as Jeremy called for help. Ivy was more anxious than ever, because this wasn't supernatural. Something was wrong with Elena physically.


	11. Chapter 11: The Departed

**Sorry it's only a short one guys but I thought I'd split this chapter up with all the action coming later. I've got some major plans for the next few seasons. Hopefully some things you guys don't see coming. Struggled to write this one a bit so hopefully it is okay.**

 **Anyway, enjoy and please review.**

 **Chapter 11: The Departed**

The hallways of a hospital were manic with doctors and nurses rushing in and out of patient rooms. There would be a constant blur of white, blue and pink from the scrubs. This was the same for Mystic Falls hospital. But in the early hours of Friday morning, there were two static figures in the chaos.

Jeremy and Ivy were stood outside Elena's room, observing her through the window. Both dressed in their pyjamas, after racing Elena to the hospital. She laid still, attached to several monitors. Her heartbeat filled the silence between the two in the hallway. They both stood still. Afraid to move in case something happened to the young woman lying in the hospital bed.

Ivy wrapped herself in her burgundy woolly cardigan for warmth and comfort. Giving herself a hug to try to lower her frantic pulse. She side glanced to Jeremy next to her, who had the same worried expression on his face. Ivy could see that he was struggling to keep it together, his eyes were glossing over the more they looked at Elena. She felt sorry for him, for a man of 16, he had been through enough to fill a lifetime.

The sterile environment making both of them feel very uneasy. Jeremy associated hospitals with the death of his parents. Ivy felt like she was being suffocated by the amount of blood present. She tried to focus on the steady beep of Elena's heart monitor, finding peace that Elena was stable.

Meredith approached the two standing at the window, handing them both coffee cups. They both mumbled a quite thank you to the doctor. Ivy took a sip out of hers, to find that it was filled with the delicious juice she craved. She gazed at Meredith in confusion.

"I thought it would help" Meredith shrugged. Ivy smiled at the brunette in thanks, finally able to feed. Ivy sipped the liquid, trying to savour its flavour. She could feel the black veins try to break through underneath her eyes. She held the blood in her mouth before swallowing, allowing her to taste all of it.

"She's gonna be fine. She got a little banged up today, hit her head, but it was just a slight concussion, nothing to worry about." Ivy understood that Meredith was trying to put them at ease, but Meredith's tone did the opposite. She suspected that Meredith was doing the doctor thing where they didn't let on how bad it was.

"But she collapsed, there was blood." "And she had been complaining about the headache all day." Jeremy and Ivy both tried to argue with the brunette doctor.

"Honestly, she's okay. She's … she's been through a lot. Is there anyone you want to call?" Meredith stroked the top of Jeremy's arm, trying to comfort him.

"We should call Stefan and Damon." Jeremy nodded, agreeing with Ivy's suggestion. He took out his phone and dialled Damon's number. Jeremy walked down the hallway, bracing himself for Damon's wrath. Ivy turned to Meredith now that Jeremy was gone, she hoped she could get more information at of the brunette.

"So how she is really doing?" Ivy questioned.

"Seriously, she is okay. She needs some rest; her body is stressed out." Meredith comforted the young woman. Ivy could sense the bullshit but knew Meredith wasn't going to give anything away. Meredith's pager beeped, she gave Ivy a goodbye wave as she walked down the hallway to see her next patient. Ivy turned back at Elena, now even more worried for the poor girl. Someone doesn't just bleed profusely through her nose and is just 'okay'.

"You did what?" She could hear Damon's voice on the other end of the call with Jeremy. Jeremy shuffled back over to Ivy whilst trying to reason with Damon.

"We took her to the hospital. When you find your sister unconscious, you call 911." Jeremy argued, trying to appeal to the human side of Damon. The side that was rarely shown

"It was the most logical thing to do, Damon." Ivy joined in, knowing Damon could hear her.

"Every remaining Original is gonna want Elena dead to stop Alaric. She's a sitting duck in there." Stefan decided to tune in to argue with the two.

"Well, Meredith wants to keep her here for observation." Jeremy knew he couldn't win due to the fact that vampire blood could heal whatever was harming Elena.

"Jeremy, get Elena home, we're on our way." Damon sighed. "Oh and Ivy, don't let them out of your sight." Damon hung up, frustrated with the two for 'doing the right thing'. Ivy rolled her eyes after being lectured by none other than Damon Salvatore.

* * *

Tyler and Matt opened the front door to the Gilbert house. Opening it wide to make room for Caroline to walk with Elena. Ivy followed carrying bags of Elena's clothes, after asking Caroline to bring some. Caroline being Caroline, almost packed her whole wardrobe in a panic.

"Couch" Caroline demanded, leading Elena to the piece of furniture by the door.

"I'm fine. I … I want something to eat first." Elena tried walking towards the kitchen, but Caroline's grasp stopped her.

"We're on it, as soon as we make sure no one is lurking in the closets." Tyler and Matt sprinted up the stairs to investigate the first floor. Ivy smiled, her eyes following the two monster hunters running around the first floor.

"All right, couch, now!" Caroline demanded, letting go of Elena to grab a blanket off the chair in the living room.

"Uhh, I told you I'm fine." Elena seem like a child about to throw a tantrum, not wanting to go to bed early. She dropped down on the couch, obeying Caroline.

"Doctor says rest, you rest." Ivy watched in amusement at the two best friends. Caroline draped the blanket over the brunette, who looked fed up with the blonde. Ivy was waiting for Caroline to tuck in her best friend and give her a kiss on the forehead. Obviously that didn't happen.

"Now, what can I get you? Do you want some tea, maybe some vodka? Both will help you sleep." Elena stares at Caroline, making Caroline sigh and perch on the edge of the couch. "I know, I'm being smothering. It's what I do."

"No, it's-it's nice." Elena patted Caroline's hand in reassurance.

"I'm thinking maybe tea with vodka." Caroline and Elena laughed as Caroline headed into the kitchen to make the tea. Ivy dropped the bags next to Elena and sat in the chair, just out of Elena's vision. Elena's eyes were focused on a picture on the end table. A picture of her, dressed in a cheerleader uniform, with her parents. The three of them were beaming, it seemed like a happier time.

"You okay?" Elena jumped when Ivy spoke, thinking she was alone in the room. "Sorry, that's the vampire in me."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I keep having these vivid dreams of sophomore year right before my parent's accident." Elena confesses to Ivy, glancing sadly at the picture with her parents. Ivy moves to sit on the coffee table opposite the sofa Elena is on. She joined Elena, inspecting the photo of the family. Ivy felt jealousy rise up. She couldn't remember a time where both her parents were together and happy.

"At least you're seeing them?" Ivy shrugged.

"It's weird though, it feels like it was only yesterday. It was the day of the bonfire party before their car ran off Wickery Bridge. It felt like they were here with me." Elena looked down at her hands, wishing away the tears that slowly formed in her brown eyes. "I wish they were here. I could use my mom's advice right now." Ivy nodded understanding what it was like to go through something traumatic. Wishing she had her mom or dad to comfort her.

"I get it. I mean, I can't imagine what it's like to lose them. But I have one parent who has disowned me for something against my will and one who is possessed by a vampire hunter." Ivy and Elena chuckled at the weirdness of the sentence. "Can I help at all? I may be new to the supernatural world but I've had my fair share of boy problems." Ivy hinted, hoping to help Elena with at least one aspect of her life.

"Maybe later, the drugs from the hospital are starting to kick in." Elena shuffled down the sofa to get comfy. Ivy smiled at the younger girl, getting up from the coffee table to let her sleep. She joined Caroline and the boys in the kitchen.

* * *

The Gilbert house was eerily quiet for a change. Elena's steady breathing along with Matt and Ivy's idle chit chat was the only sounds breaking the silence. The vampire and jock were sat in the living room with Elena, watching over her as she slept. Ivy and Matt were sat opposite each other on the two chairs next to Elena. Both with their feet on the small table in the middle of the room, holding mugs filled with coffee. Ivy enjoyed the feeling of the warm ceramic on the palm of her hands. Since becoming a vampire she had noticed that her skin was cold to the touch. Must be the whole being dead thing. She could now feel the warm liquid of tea or coffee make its way down her throat and toast her chest. She revelled in the sensation, feeling almost alive again.

Her blue eyes moved from the steam radiating off her mug to the blonde jock across from her. His eyes were fixed on the brunette in worry. Ivy knew about Elena and Matt's past relationship and believe he wasn't fully over her yet. Matt would always have a soft spot from Elena, and vice versa. Anyone could see their connection when the two were together. They would smile at each other, almost distracting the other from their problems.

Matt could feel Ivy's eyes on him as he watched the brunette sleeping. The blonde felt his cheeks warm up slightly, embarrassed that he was caught in the act. He looked to the red head, who was staring at him over her mug as she took a small sip. They both chuckled slightly at the situation.

"Are you used to the whole supernatural thing?" Ivy asked as she brought her mug to her lap.

"I don't think I'll ever be. Vampires, werewolves, witches … It still doesn't seem real." Ivy nodded in understanding. She would have days where she couldn't believe she was a supernatural creature. It still sounds ludicrous just thinking about it.

Elena's breathing became shaky as she started to wake up. Matt leant forward to place his mug on the table in front of him. He stayed in the position, having a better view of Elena.

"Where is everyone?" Elena rubbed her eyes, sitting up to look around the bare room.

"Tyler and Caroline got a call from their moms. What were you dreaming about?" Matt replied

"Sophomore year."

"Seems like forever ago." Matt leant back against the chair in nostalgia, thinking about to the simpler time.

"It was. I'm sorry that I strung you along" she turned to face Matt. "I should have figured out what I wanted and just been honest about it. I'm now making the same mistakes with Stefan and Damon. It's not right what I'm doing to them either, I – I have to let one of them go."

"Which one?" Ivy asked in curiosity and for her own selfish ulterior motive.

In that moment, Stefan stumbled through the front door. He frantically looked round for Elena, finding her in the main room with Matt and Ivy. He walked over to the brunette who was getting up to meet the younger Salvatore halfway. They crashed against each other into a passionate embrace. Stefan felt all his worry expel out of his body as he hugged Elena. Matt and Ivy watched the two uncomfortably, both for the same reason.

Jealousy.

 _I guess she's chosen._


	12. Chapter 12: The Bittersweet End

**Chapter 12: The Bittersweet End**

Ivy exited the house and onto the Gilbert's porch. She suddenly felt very claustrophobic after seeing the former couple together again. She leant on the white picket fence surrounding the porch. She inhaled a big breath of air to try to settle her pulse. She looked around maniacally, trying to find something to focus on. Her eyes found some bright yellow flowers planted in the front garden.

She felt conflicted; on one hand she was happy that Elena had found peace when it came to the Salvatores. Yet, she didn't want Elena to pick Stefan. She knew that the two of them were somehow destined to be together. It's not a coincidence that Stefan fell in love with both Katherine and Elena. Ivy remembered seeing the two together when she first visited Mystic Falls. They were always smiling, laughing and holding onto one each other. It was new love and she envied it. She probably felt something for Stefan then. But couldn't acknowledge it because she was with Noah.

Noah.

She couldn't help but feel guilty for having feelings for someone else. It had been two years since he died, but it still felt so fresh. It felt like it was only yesterday. She could still feel his cold skin against hers as she held his lifeless body.

It would all be so much easier if he were still alive. She wouldn't be feeling so lonely and she would be able to go back to him after a long day. She missed the way he would hold her when they had nights in. The way he would stroke her head when she had a bad day at work. The feeling of his warm body against hers when they feel asleep on the sofa.

Ivy was so distracted by her thoughts; she didn't notice the gentleman approaching the house. He saw the young woman immediately. Her ginger hair standing out against the white painted wood of the house. He cleared his throat to gain her attention. She immediately straightened up after seeing him.

He was a dashing well-dressed young man. She was captivated by his strong facial features. His high cheekbones, angular jawline and dark hazel eyes. The man wore a black suit, grey dress shirt with a black silk tie. She would compare him to a prince in a fairy tale from the way he held himself. In response to his presence, she tried to improve her posture by standing up straight.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Elena Gilbert." His voice had a smoothness to it that enveloped her. She could also hear a slight accent which made her think of the terrible original siblings.

"And who are you?" She cringed as her voice came out sounding posher than normal.

"I'm Elijah. You may know my brother Klaus." He saw the grimace that appeared on her face at the mention of her brother's name. "Yes, I get that reaction a lot." Ivy seemed to falter as she stood close to an original that could easily killer her. She needed back up.

"Excuse me for a moment." He nodded in reply. She opened the door to go inside and inform the others of the visitor. Ivy just missed hitting Elena with the door, who had had enough of resting. Elena opened her mouth to speak, but Ivy stepped aside to show Elijah standing behind her.

"Stefan" Elena called for the younger Salvatore at the sight of Elijah. She could sense that Elijah was different from his brother. If it was Klaus she would already be dead. But he still gave off the superior impression she got when she first met Klaus and Rebekah.

"Elijah" Stefan stated in a deadpan tone as he approached the three at the Gilbert entrance.

"Hello again. I believe you have something of mine." Ivy and Stefan's eyes met knowing Elijah was talking about Klaus. "I'm here to negotiate."

Ivy looked to Elena and Stefan who seemed to be sharing a silent conversation. Unbeknownst to Ivy, Elijah had already been invited in by Jenna when he posed as a writer. Elena and Stefan knew that Elijah's word was sacred when it came to making deals. But, the last time they trusted him, when Klaus broke his curse, was still very fresh in their minds. Elena turned back to Elijah, wanting to hear what he had to say and to see what they could do about Klaus.

"Please come in." Elena welcomed Elijah in, who followed Ivy into the Gilbert house. They all made their way back into the kitchen where Matt was. Ivy saw his body stiffen as he saw Elijah following the trio. Stefan decided to ring Damon so he could be a part of the conversation.

Elijah sat down at the head of the table in the kitchen so he was able to address the group. Elena and Ivy sat a few chairs down with Stefan and Matt standing by one of the kitchen counters. The group waited patiently for Elijah to begin his bargaining about Alaric and Klaus.

"All we need is to take that stake away from him. Once he's been disarmed and the weapon's in my possession. My family will scatter to the ends of the Earth and Alaric will follow us." Elijah explained to the group. His priority seemed to be the indestructible stake instead of his daggered brother.

"So what? I'll never see my father again unless one of you comes running to Mystic Falls?" Ivy asked hurt by the suggestion.

"And you'll just run?" Stefan sat down at the table between Elena and Elijah. Ivy began to realise that her father was getting ignored in all this. All everyone cared about was Elena's life. Yes, she did too but her family was important to her, especially her dad.

"We've done it before. Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father. What's another half century while Elena is able to live out the rest of her natural life?" Elijah continued to explained. Stefan glanced at Elena, contemplating what the original had said. The deal didn't seem that bad as long as Elena got to live a full life.

"We've finally stopped him, Elijah. After everything that he's done to us, I can't just let you bring him back." Elena tried to argue with the brunette. She couldn't go back to fearing for her life every day.

"I give you my word, Elena. I will not revive Klaus within yours nor even within your children's lifetimes. Perhaps that will finally teach him some manners."

"Why should she trust you? All you've done is screw her over." Matt stepped forward towards the group at the table. Someone finally said what everyone seemed to be thinking.

"And for that, I am deeply ashamed. But know this, she could have been dead the instant I walked through that door tonight. So Elena, I leave it to you to make the decision whether to trust me or not."

"Not! Hello? Did that concussion give you brain damage?! His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get!" Damon's voice echoed in the room from the phone's speaker. He was on the road still transporting Klaus' body, but still wanted a say.

"Rebekah and Kol will honour the terms. If you return Klaus' body to us, Elena will come to no harm." Elena turned to Stefan next to her. She was considering everything the original was saying. "Do we have a deal?"

"No! No, no, no, no! Did I mention _no_?" Damon tuned in again, but just seemed to get ignored.

"Elena, it's up to you." Stefan faced the brunette as her eyes flickered between him and Elijah.

"Why do you want Klaus' body?" Elena questioned him.

"He's my brother. We remain together." The group understood where the original was coming home. Family was important to every one of them.

"We have a deal." Elena stared sternly at Elijah. She hoped that this time he would keep his word. She didn't want to regret trusting him.

Ivy jumped up from the table, the scraping of the chair legs on the wooden floor announcing her leave. The red head stormed towards the front door, feeling hopeless once again. Elena, Matt and Stefan all looked at each other in confusion wondering what was wrong with the red head.

Ivy was almost to her car when she heard racing footsteps behind her.

"Ivy, wait!" Stefan shouted to the young woman as she went to grab the door handle of her old Mustang. Ivy turned around to face him. Her body was rigid with stress. Her brows were drawn together in frustration. She sighed when she saw the confusion on Stefan's face. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Grill. If this is the last time I get to see my dad, then I- I need to- I just need to see him." Ivy's voice was breaking due to the rage and sadness she felt. Stefan went to speak but Ivy continued venting. "Everyone seems to have given up on him but he's still my family. All everyone cares about is Elena's well being but I need to put my family first. I know he's still in there." Tears started to fall from her blue eyes. "I need to see him" Ivy's broken voice whispered. Stefan raised his hand to wipe the tears away but she had already turned to get into the car. She left Stefan standing on the sidewalk as the Mustang drove away.

* * *

It was perfect timing. The mustang pulled up to the Grill just as Alaric was exiting. Ivy's eyes followed her dad as he got into his car and drove off. Ivy didn't stay long enough at the Gilbert house to listen to the groups plan. She decided to tail Ric, hoping she wouldn't need to step in if something went wrong.

She followed him as he drove out of Mystic Falls and even out of Virginia.

* * *

Ivy made sure she was a few metres from her father's car but realised he probably knew he was being followed. They were driving down some back roads that looked rather sketchy to. The only source of light were the cars headlights and even they weren't helping. Alaric turned off the road into a car park for what looked like a storage unit.

The red head parked her car and switched off her headlights straight away. She watched Alaric get out of his car and walk to the boot. He opened it up to reveal his hunting weapons. From her hiding spot she couldn't see the contents of the trunk. However, she did see the familiar white oak stake. He grabbed the indestructible before slamming the trunk. Ric stormed towards the storage unit with purpose. Ivy held back for a few minutes not wanting to ruin the group's plan yet.

She got out the mustang as another car pulled up. She kept walking unsure if she wanted to know who the driver was. Ivy heard the driver open and close their door, followed by a whooshing sound.

In the blink of an eye, the blonde original was stood in front of the red head. "What are you doing here?" Ivy asked in frustration at the intrusion of her personal space.

"I could ask you the same thing." Rebekah looked the red head up and down. Ivy raised her eyebrows whilst placing a hand on her hip in annoyance. Rebekah sighed, rolling her eyes at the younger vampire. "I'm here to meet Damon to get Klaus' body. Honouring the little deal, you made with my brother." The blonde explained.

"Don't look at me, that was all Elena. Look, you need to be careful down there. Alaric just went in with the white oak stake." Ivy saw panic cross Rebekah's features. Ivy understood that Rebekah was scared and actually felt sorry for the original for a second. Rebekah shook her head returning to her bitchy self. She knew it was a risk but she had to get her brother's body.

Rebekah spun on her heel to enter the building. Ivy shrugged, following the blonde into the storage unit. She silently prayed that she wasn't walking into certain death.

* * *

The elevator arrived at the basement level. Ivy cussed when the elevator dinged at their arrival. She didn't know what she would see when the doors finally opened. But she wasn't expecting to see an empty corridor. Ivy stood in the elevator, creeping forward as she assessed the scene.

"Damon! Damon, where are you?" Ivy face palmed at the stupidity of the original. She had signed her death certificate. Rebekah strutted forward down the corridor hoping to find Damon. Ivy veered away from the main corridor, choosing to sneak down one to the left.

After several minutes of getting lost in a maze of storage units, Ivy could hear a commotion. She guessed that her possessed father found the other two vampires. She vamped towards the sound, stopping every now and again to listen.

There was silence again. She walked further towards where she heard the sounds last.

And then darkness.

* * *

 _Not Again._

Ivy felt the familiar ache of a broken neck as she slowly woke up. She carefully opened her eyes, unaware of her surroundings. Lying next to her was a bloodied and bruised Damon Salvatore. He was on his back looking up at the ceiling. Or so she thought.

A black leather boot proceeded to kick Damon in the face. Making all the open wounds pour with more blood. Ivy rolled onto her back, not only showing Damon she was awake, but also his assailant.

Alaric Saltzman was stood over his 'best friend' with bloodied knuckles and a snarl on his face. Blood was splattered over his clothes and his skin. His fist was clenched around Damon's shirt, holding him up slightly. This was not the man she knew. She had never seen him look so evil. She winced when his eyes moved to look at her. She wasn't used to seeing such hatred in his brown orbs.

"Well look who's up." Alaric let go of Damon's shirt, dropping him with a soft thud. He moved so he was standing between the two vulnerable vampires.

"Leave her alone, Ric." Alaric violently turned to face Damon. He delivered a strong kick to the vampire's gut.

"I said, don't call me that!"

"Is that all you got?"

"Not quite." Alaric pulled out a stake, kneeling over the blue eyed vampire. Damon's eyes widen as he saw the familiar wooden weapon. Alaric went to stab Damon with the stake but was stopped by the Salvatore. Damon used all his strength to lift the weapon away from his chest, whilst Alaric was trying to do the opposite.

Alaric was tackled to the floor by his own daughter. His grip was still intact around the wooden stake. She was trying to save Damon and not hurt her father at the same time. She offered a hand to Damon to help him up, increasing his distance from the hunter.

Alaric shot up, already advancing on the two vampires. The darkness within him was dedicated to the cause Esther had bestowed on him. Alaric raised the stake above his head to plunge into the older vampire. Damon grabbed his wrist causing Ric to drop the stake out of reflex.

The hunter's face began to change. His scowl was replaced with one of confusion. He stumbled back a few steps, unstable on his feet all of a sudden. "What's happening?!" He exclaimed in a desperate attempt for help. Alaric dropped to his knees looking up at his best friend and daughter. Both of them quickly realising what was happening.

"Oh no!" Damon whimpered, both of them falling with Alaric to the ground.

"What's happening?" Alaric's face grimaced, starting to feel the pain of dying. He looked towards Ivy, recognition on his face. "Kiddo?"

"Daddy?" Ivy whispered, unable to speak due to the tears already trailing down her cheeks. She grabbed a hold of him as he fell forward. He was too weak to even hold himself up.

"No. No, no, no, no. Ric, Ric!" Damon begged as the older man started to desiccate.

"No! Daddy, please! You are not dead. You are not dead." Ivy sobbed as she rested her forehead against Ric's. Her body was shaking violently as she witnessed the slow death of her father. She pulled away to look at her father. He was a dull grey colour, veins protruding from his skin. She looked to Damon for help. She needed something. Anything.

She gasped seeing his own tears fall from his eyes. He grabbed a hold of Ivy, bringing both her and Alaric into an embrace. Not only had he lost his best friend but also the love of his life.

Ivy pulled away to look at Damon. "Elena!" Ivy had had the same realisation as Damon. "Go, Damon!" The blue eyed vampire looked surprised at the red head. Shocked that she would tell him to go at a time like this. "Go say goodbye to her." Damon nodded knowing he needed to. "Go!" She screamed at him, hurrying him up.

Damon vamped leaving Ivy alone with her father.

Ivy rocked the two of him, almost like she was sending her father to sleep. She couldn't believe that she was saying goodbye to him again. This was worse than the first time because no one was coming along to bring him back. He was gone.

Alaric's skin began to shine lightly as her watery tears dropped from her chin. "I love you, dad. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. I'm so sorry." She apologised over and over again to the lifeless body of her father.

Not knowing that he was stood right behind her. "I love you too, kiddo" his own tears falling from his eyes.

"I love you too."

 **AN: Well that's Season 3! I hope you enjoyed it so far because it's about to get good.**


	13. Chapter 13: Growing Pains

**AN: Don't worry I didn't forget about this fic. Over the Christmas period I re-read the old chapters and corrected any mistakes. So I've started Season 4 now! Excited to start writing the later seasons too. The first few chapters of Season 4 may be a bit boring as the show mostly focuses on Elena's transition but it will get better. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, it means a lot to know you're enjoying the story.**

 **Djone246: Yes they are good for each other after everything they've been through but I'm also a major shipper of Stefan and Caroline so will I be okay splitting them up?**

 **Alymariet: Yeah, I could see her with Damon too. Especially since she has a bit more of a fiery side.**

 **Chapter 13: Growing Pains**

It was a hard day.

Ivy had just watched Alaric die for the second and final time. Watching him fall to the ground in confusion and terror. The look on his face as he became more lucid, etched into her mind. She couldn't escape his expression of recognising his daughter and knowing his fate. His eyes held a mixture of emotions; happy, sad, scared. She was glad that he was himself when he passed but it also broke her heart. She could feel the tears start to reappear replaying the scene in her mind.

The redhead was finally able to have the private time she longed for with her father. Knowing that Damon should be with the girl he loved. Like she did with Noah, she stayed with her father for some hours. Holding his desiccated body, not ready to leave. Telling him everything she didn't get to say when he was alive. Her dreams, her regrets and her promises for the future.

There was no time to mourn once she got back to the Gilbert house. She was bombarded by the realisation that Elena had died too. She found out that Meredith had given Elena Damon's blood to heal her of her haemorrhage. Ivy cursed the brunette doctor, knowing it was worse than she let on. Damon let Ivy know that Elena had yet to wake.

The redhead decided to stay downstairs. Deciding to let the experienced Salvatore brothers confront Elena about her vampiracy. She also wanted to keep an eye on Jeremy who had been feeling suffocated by the recent vampire activity. She knew that this wouldn't help the situation at all.

Jeremy informed her about the incident. She couldn't believe how similar it was to the death of their parents and how petty the blonde original was. The younger Gilbert explained that Stefan saved Matt first as per Elena's request. She had drowned in the process. When Stefan finally rescued the brunette from the sinking car, she was already dead. Stefan took her to the hospital, like any normal person would, hoping to bring her back. That was when the good doctor informed Damon that she had used his blood earlier in the day.

Elena had died with vampire blood in her system.

Ivy felt for Elena. She wouldn't wish this curse on anyone. Yes, they were able to live but they had to drink and possibly kill humans to survive.

As the redhead processed the information, she didn't notice Jeremy exit the room. However, she did notice a rather angry Damon storming into the kitchen. Her eyes followed as he grabbed the first bottle of alcohol he could find. He poured himself a drink, his go-to in times like these. After pouring his drink, he finally saw the redhead.

Ivy opened her mouth to ask how Elena was doing when Stefan entered the kitchen. Ivy saw Damon's shoulders stiffen again at the sight of his brother.

"Way to get her hopes up for something that's never happened in the history of vampirism." Damon reprimanded his brother.

"You know what, you weren't there the day Elena looked me in the eye and told me she never wanted this." Damon drank the contents of his glass in a single gulp. As he did, he silently cussed his brother at the mistake he had made.

"Then you shouldn't have let her die." Damon practically screamed at Stefan. Ivy took a step back in case the men got violent.

"I never meant for her to die. She asked me to help Matt first and I did."

"And now the world has one more quarterback. Bravo, brother." Damon poured himself another drink.

"I made a choice that I will regret for the rest of my life. Now let me try to fix it." Stefan's voice was laced with guilt.

"Hey!" The female vampire raised her voice, stepping towards the brothers. Both of their attention was on Ivy. Ivy's eyes were trained onto the green eyes belonging to Stefan. "She would be more in a state if she knew that you had chosen her life over Matt's." She turned her head to look at Damon. "You know; the guy she grew up with. Her first love." She was getting angrier as she tried to make her point. Damon rolled his eyes at her. "No one wants this life and if they do, they're sadistic." Isobel. "If you were in their shoes, you wouldn't do the same for each other?!" Ivy took a deep breath before continuing. "Just be happy she's alive." Ivy eyed the brothers before leaving the kitchen to go check on Elena.

* * *

Ivy reached Elena's bedroom as Jeremy exited. She gave him a smile small as he walked past her to his room. She was loitering in the doorway watching Elena empty her hand over the bin. The contents of the crushed light bulb falling into the receptacle.

"Annoying isn't it?" Elena's eyes quickly met Ivy's. She seemed scared that she was caught but Ivy knew it was because of the new ability. There was nothing scarier than realising the damage a person could do with their bare hands. Ivy could compare her to a lost little girl. The brunette's brown eyes widened in fear, pleading for someone to help. "The sound of the electricity." Elena nodded, brushing the rest of glass off her hand. Elena spun on her heel to sit on the edge of the bed. "You'll get used to it." Ivy walked over to join the brunette.

"I can hear everything." Elena's voice was strained. She felt like she was going mad, not able to hear herself think. Her hands were gripping her head in pain.

"I know. Try to focus on your breathing." Ivy listened to Elena's breathing pattern change. Taking deeper breaths in and exhaling longer. Elena repeated this a couple more times. "Do I dare ask how you're really doing?" The younger girl turned to Ivy with tears already pooling in her eyes. Elena rested her head on Ivy's shoulder, still focusing on her breathing. Her eyes were closed as she finally had a moment of peace.

The two girls sat together for a few moments. Elena grateful for the redhead next to her. Ivy silently worrying for the younger girl.

* * *

A few minutes later, Elena left her bedroom to get something to eat. The misunderstanding that her hunger was for food.

Ivy followed Elena out of the room, wandering into her dad's old room. She leant against the door frame, her eyes surveying the room. The Gilbert's had painted the room a sickly green colour. Well, half painted. The splatters of pale green paint still on the floor evidence of Elena's collapse.

The dust hadn't fully collected on some parts of the floor. She could still see the spots where her father's bed and chest of drawers were. She could picture her and Alaric chatting away as he unpacked his bag from the basement visit. Ivy was chattering away, sprawled on the bed. Her father putting away clothes in his dresser. Both of them laughing at what their life had become.

That's all Ivy could do right now.

Imagine.

The vampire had no idea how she was going to deal with seeing his apartment. That was Alaric's habitat. He was everywhere. Ivy thought about staying in the apartment sometimes to feel like her dad was still here.

She didn't know that her father was still here.

Just on the other side.

* * *

Elena had retreated back to her room. The sunlight was sensitive to her eyes as she continued to transition. That meant that Ivy was stuck with Stefan in the kitchen.

Stefan was tidying up from the lunch he and Elena had just shared. Ivy was observing him from the kitchen table. A white mug held in both hands just under her mouth. The steam radiating from the tea, warming up her nose. Hopefully hiding her surveillance of the younger Salvatore. She was lost in her thoughts, her eyes unconsciously following him around the room.

Since Elena had chosen Stefan instead of Damon, Ivy didn't know how to act around him. She was happy for the two of them but also jealous. She had no idea if she even had a chance with the attractive vampire. But she convinced herself she did. There was also a present thought in her mind that he will always choose Elena. It was always Elena.

 _No, you can't think like that._ She told herself.

Her father made her promise to take care of the Gilbert siblings. But had noticed these thoughts kept creeping in. She was starting to realise that everything was about Elena Gilbert. Two people died that day and she felt like her father had been forgotten. Deep down, she knew there was one person she could count on to remember him: Damon.

The reaction of the blue-eyed vampire, as her father died in front of them, almost shocked her. She saw the conflict in his eyes as he understood that this meant Elena was dead too. The want of saying goodbye to your best and only friend against the desire of seeing his love one more time. That's why she told him to go. Letting him know it was okay because she wouldn't let Alaric die alone.

The redhead was so caught up in her memories that she hadn't noticed that Stefan had sat down opposite her.

He understood Ivy was having a tough time. She wasn't able to fully grieve with everything going on. He felt for the girl. He eyed her as she was lost in her own little world. He took in her green-blue eyes and the tiny freckles dotted across her nose. His eyes left her face, peering down to the chain around her neck. The top of the thin silver necklace resting on her collarbone. The shiny material disappearing under her maroon v neck shirt.

Stefan was about to ask how Ivy was doing when a commotion sounded by the front door. The sound brought the two vampires out of their trances. They both exited the kitchen to see a couple of police officers and a pastor.

When the officers caught sight of Stefan, they all raised their guns. The officers started to surround the vampire in case of a sudden attack.

Ivy watched on in confusion, joined by Elena who skipped down the stairs. Elena seemed to recognise the pastor. "Stefan?" Elena asked in a panicked tone.

"Elena. Ivy. Don't move." He instructed. The officers began to lead Stefan out of the house. The vampire surrendered to the weaker species, co-operating and hoping to go unharmed. Ivy saw out of the corner of her eye, the pastor reached for Elena. Elena went with the pastor, not giving away her transition status.

Ivy proceeded to follow when she felt a thud on the back of her head. Darkness followed.

* * *

Damon Salvatore entered the Gilbert house in a hurry. After Damon watched Rebekah get taken away, he suspected his brother was the next target.

Damon stomped his foot, suppressing the need to punch something when he found the house empty. The ground floor appeared to have been ransacked. Ivy Saltzman laid unconscious on the floor in the middle of the chaos.

Damon knelt down to inspect the female vampire. Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes rushed through the front door, following the vampire

"They're gone. Whoever nailed Rebekah, took them too. Please tell me you have something. Anything." Damon asked as he brushed the ginger hair from Ivy's face. He saw her nose twitch as she started to wake.

"I can't. The Council locked Carol and me out of our offices. Files, computers, everything." Liz stated, joining Damon to check on Ivy.

"So, the Mayor and the Sheriff never contemplated a backup plan, Liz?"

"Uhh" Ivy groaned. She opened her eyes to see the vampire and sheriff hovering over her. "What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that, sweetie." Liz told the redhead.

"The last thing I remember was Stefan being taken away by a group of officers." Ivy slowly sat up, grimacing as she did. Her vision was blurry and her head was spinning. She guessed she got hit over the head, feeling the slight concussion heal itself. Damon and Liz glanced at each other worried. "Oh, and Elena went with a pastor? I know that sounds weird but he was definitely there."

"Pastor Young?" Liz asked. Ivy reached her hands out to get up, surprised that Damon accepted. He helped her up as she nodded in response to the sheriff's question. He wrapped his arms around her waist to steady her. Ivy could feel his taut stomach against hers. She tried to shake the thought out of her head to focus the situation.

The redhead stood up, stumbling as the blood rushed to her head. Her hands feel on Damon's impressive biceps in response. Her eyes were locked behind Damon and Liz, staring at the brave blonde young man. She started to shake her head in small motions, trying to signal him, but he still knocked on the door.

"Hey, is Elena here?" Matt asked. Damon spun around humanly impossible at the sound of his voice. He rushed Matt, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him up against the wall. Matt began pawing at Damon's hands, lack of oxygen making him gasp in shock.

"In what world are you the one that gets to live?!" Damon questioned Matt in a sinister tone. Matt shook his head trying to answer.

"Damon, stop! It wasn't his fault." Ivy was next to the blue-eyed vampire trying to pry his hands from Matt's throat. She had more of an advantage compared to Liz and Matt but Damon was still stronger than her.

"Let him go, Damon! Now!" Damon released the boy after a beat. Matt breathed heavily, falling to the floor. Ivy pushed Damon away from Matt to prevent him from attacking the young man again. The redhead placed her arm underneath the blonde to help him stand up.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Liz asked the rhetorical question to the room. "Look, with your vervain and Alaric's weapons; they could be anywhere." Ivy looked confused at the sheriff at the mention of her father's name.

"How do they have his weapons?"

"Of course, you missed this." Damon stated sarcastically, now pent up with emotion from Matt's presence. "Your vampire hunter possessed dad outed the Mayor and the Sheriff, here to the council. Handing them all the vervain along with his weapons. Basically, sign all of our deaths." Damon was stepping close to the young vampire with every word.

"This is not mine or his fault, Damon" Ivy raised to the challenged. Her voice was laced with venom when she spoke him name.

"Well, Alaric isn't here so you're the next best thing!"

"You don't have to remind me that he's not here, I'm aware of that!" Ivy's voiced boomed. Both breathing heavily at each other, filled with anger.

"Then, think. It takes a lot to hold a vampire. Reinforced steel, iron doors." Damon's voice was still loud but seemed to calm down. Damon and Ivy were standing inches apart from each other. Their eyes were locked. Both their chests were heaving from getting wound up from each other.

"The Pastor has a cattle ranch." The two vampires and the sheriff turned to look at Matt. "Those pens could easily be modified."

"It's remote, it's secluded" Ivy faced Damon again, noticing how close the two were to each other.

"Well, guess what? Looks like you get a chance to prove how sorry you really are. Let's go." Damon glared at Matt as he spoke. Damon headed towards the door, pulling on Matt's sleeve as he went. Matt glanced at Ivy, having no choice in leaving, terror was plain in his eyes.

Ivy said goodbye to the sheriff and left with the two men, wanting to keep an eye on Damon.

* * *

Damon's Camaro zoomed down the driveway leading to Pastor Young's ranch. He applied the brakes, with no warning to his passengers, when he got to Young's house. The three of them exited the car, Damon already halfway to the Pastor's residence.

Ivy immediately felt unnerved by the open space. Fog was rolling in which added to the eeriness of the ranch. She glanced at Matt, who appeared to feel the same way by the look on his face.

She compared the ranch to a setting in a horror film. The fields encircling them, where the protagonist would try to escape the murderer. The barn to the left was barely lit, an outline in the darkness. The Pastor's home was lit enough to make out some of the details like the windows and doors. The bungalow was dark inside, surrounded by trees and bushes to conceal areas.

"So, what, we just storm the place with zero weapons?" Matt asked Damon, all three of them surveying the area. Ivy internally face palmed when Matt sassed Damon, the last thing he should be doing.

"Nah, we don't need weapons." Damon was looking around, slowly spinning on his heel. "Just bait." He glared at Matt, smirking.

In the blink of an eye, Damon was next to Matt, biting into his neck. Matt yelped as the vampire's fangs pierced his skin. The older Salvatore dropped Matt to the ground, who groaned in pain at the intrusion. "Yoo-hoo! Anybody home? Big, bad vampire out here." Damon shouted towards the house.

"Shit" Ivy said under her breath, hurrying towards Matt on the ground. Pushing Damon out of the way as she did, knowing Elena wouldn't be happy if anything happened to the blonde jock. She fell next to Matt, bringing her wrist up to her mouth to heal him, but stopped mid action.

Her hearing picked up the sound of the screen door opening to the house. Pastor Young peered outside to see Matt rolling around in pain. Ivy knelt down next to him and Damon strutting around.

"Let him go. The boy's innocent." Pastor Young declared. Ivy dropped her arm to her side, not wanting to give herself away.

"Well, that's the point. Give me Stefan and Elena, he's all yours." The redhead slowly stood up, getting ready to pounce if needed.

"Damon" Ivy whispered, scolding him.

"Come on, Pastor. You know I'll kill him. I want to kill him." Damon picked Matt up by the scruff of his shirt like a cat would with a kitten. Ivy glared at Damon, hoping his plan worked.

"Go away! You are not invited in and I'm not coming out!" The pastor screamed at Damon.

Suddenly the attractive vampire was shot in the chest with wooden bullets. He fell to the ground letting go of Matt as he did. Ivy grabbed Matt before he collapsed from the blood loss. She hoped the dim lighting hid the veins that were starting to appearing underneath her eyes.

"Shit!" Ivy exclaimed looking between the Pastor and Damon on the ground.

Pastor Young cowered back into the safe haven of his house. Two officers came around the corner with their guns out. Obviously the ones that had taken the pleasure of shooting Damon. Their guns were aimed at Ivy, who walked backwards protectively holding Matt.

She watched one of the officers' nudge Damon with his foot. Damon didn't move. The other officer kept his eye on Ivy. As if he could take her in a fight.

Unexpectedly Damon jumped up, taking hold of the gun pointed at him. He snapped the officer's neck with no remorse and stabbing the other with his gun. He launched the gun at Ivy. The gun embedded itself into her shoulder with the extreme power Damon used.

Instinctively she bent over in pain, dropping Matt to the ground. The jock began crawling away, coughing and spluttering, trying to get as far from Damon as he could. The Salvatore kicked Matt in the gut, forcing him to turn and fall on his back in exhaustion.

"Go ahead and kill me. You can't possibly hate me more than I hate myself." Matt spoke with venom towards the vampire hovering over him.

"Matt" Ivy mumbled sadly at what Matt said. She using all her might to get the gun out of her shoulder. The metal hindering her from healing quickly.

"Oh, yes I can." Damon moved his foot, placing it against Matt's throat and pushing down. "It should've been you." Ivy finally ripped the gun from her shoulder, ready to tackle Damon to the floor.

But someone beat her to it.

Elena launched herself at Damon, knocking him off Matt. She was vamped out. The veins under the eyes were pulsating, her fangs on show for all to see. She had completed her transition.

"Leave him alone!" Matt crawled away towards the barn as Damon and Elena glared at each other waiting for the other to back down. Ivy could feel the tension in the air, knowing the two needed to talk.

The redhead followed Matt to the Pastor's barn, believing this was where the vampires were kept. Matt was crawling into what could be his death. He was still bleeding from his neck, Ivy not having time to heal him. Ivy stopped for a beat.

 _Did he want to die?_ She thought to herself.

Stefan stormed out of the barn, Ivy assumed he must have had a disagreement with Matt. She understood Matt was feeling guilty as it was his idea to get Elena out of Mystic Falls. Which resulted in him veering off the bridge to miss Rebekah standing in the middle of the bridge.

Stefan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the beautiful redhead standing opposite him. He marched over to Ivy, pulling her into a tight embrace. His arms wrapped round her waist, drawing her against him desperately. He breathed in the scent of her coconut infused hair, feeling his muscles relax.

Ivy was surprised at the gesture; she didn't expect this from the younger Salvatore. She automatically draped her arms around his shoulders. She suspected that the incident scared him. He almost lost Elena as she neared the end of her transition period. He could have died too, if luck wasn't on their side.

Stefan pulled away from Ivy, examining her for any injuries. The two of them could hear Elena's raised voice as she argued with Damon. They both turned to see Elena storming away from the older vampire. Stefan released Ivy with a small smile and went after Elena.

Ivy watched his retreating figure as he followed his true love. Her eyes went to Damon, who was only a few meters away from her.

She understood that she wasn't the only one hurt by Elena's decision.


	14. Chapter 14: Memorial

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while but I have had this horrible cold so I couldn't even look at a laptop screen! But I didn't forget you guys! I hope you enjoy and I love the ending of this one.**

 **Chapter 14**

The little town looked exactly the same as if she hadn't left months ago. Ivy had decided to miss the funeral for Pastor Young, as she didn't know him to mourn him

The vampire chose to drive to Florida to pack up her little bungalow. Forgetting just how long and boring the day between the two states was. She believed that now was the best time to make the move to Mystic Falls official. With her dad gone, she could move into his apartment and feel closer to him. There was no point in wasting money on the bungalow if she wasn't going to live there anymore

As she drove down her street, she took in everything. The Chinese place she used to get food for Noah and her when they were too lazy to cook. The grungy bar she used to work at across the street. The colourful graffiti that painted bare brick walls with life.

As she turned onto her driveway she began to feel glum. She was closing the chapter of herself and Noah. Apart from the engagement ring, this was the last page. She knew deep down in her heart that she needed closure if she was to move on.

Sat in her Mustang, glancing at her white painted wood panel bungalow with bay windows. It didn't occur to her, just how hard this was going to be. She took a deep breath before exiting the car, grabbing some boxes and entering the house.

The living room and kitchen was one massive open plan room. A wall to the right blocking anyone from seeing the bedroom and bathroom. The living room was the first room anyone entered. A TV mounted on the large wall to the right, opposite a grey inviting corner sofa asking to be sat on. A glass coffee table situated in the middle of the empty room between the sofa and TV. There was a large window behind one side of the sofa that looked out onto next doors house and part of the beach. Behind the other side of the sofa was a long counter of the kitchen which made its way around the kitchen in a u shape. Oak wood was used for the cupboards to compliment the light ocean toned decor. An island in the middle which Ivy used for preparing meals and learning specific drinks for the bar. The small appliances were teal to add a pop of colour to the room. There was a back door that led to the small garden and the beachfront. There were photos and knick-knacks placed around both the rooms. Her house was basically an album of nostalgia as each knick-knack had a memory attached.

The framed royal blue sea glass on the wall was from a date with Noah. They had decided to spend the day at the beach. Ivy believed she was a fish in a previous life because she loved being in or watching the ocean. They watched the sunset as if they were in some romantic comedy. As they got up to go back to their bungalow, Noah noticed the royal blue sea glass. He told her that he would have it made into a piece of jewellery so she could always remember their perfect day. Ivy surprised him by having it framed and put on the wall. Noah later surprised her by referencing the royal blue colour in her engagement ring.

Ivy's eyes drifted to a selfie of her mother and her during a hot summer. The two were completely drenched from head to toe after just having a water pistol fight. Ivy's curly hair was straight dark and plastered against her face. Her mother, Brooke, had strands of hair stuck to her face, unable to get them off as both hands were occupied. In the picture Ivy was laughing at Brooke as she tried to move the damp heavy hair from her face by blowing.

Ivy remembered that being one of the last summers she spent with her mother. Before she would stay with Alaric for the hot months

The vampire started to pack up the living room, just taking the photos and items that meant the most to her. She didn't mind leaving the furniture for the next tenant as it wasn't like she had anywhere to put it all. She placed pictures of her and Alaric, her and Noah and a couple of her with both her parents, into a cardboard box. Going into the kitchen, she packed most of her small appliances. She thought that the colour would help her dad's place look a little less dark and dreary.

* * *

Ivy had only been at the house for a couple of hours. Packed 7 boxes and finished the living room, kitchen and bathroom.

 _Time for the bedroom._

The bedroom she shared with Noah. A few months after Noah passed she was finally able to start sleeping in the room again. But packing it up meant she had to pay more attention to the details around the room.

Ivy slowly reached for the brass door knob, hesitant to open the door. She leant her forehead against the wooden door, closing her eyes. "Come on. It's just a room." she whispered to herself to psych herself up. She opened the door to her bedroom.

The room was square with a bay window that she would sit at in the mornings, watching people start their day. To her left was a king sized bed with a grey and blue designed duvet covering it with pillows to match. Either side of the bed was an oak nightstand with a small lamp on top and a vase full of fake flowers on Ivy's side. The wooden wardrobe in the corner looked just a messy as when she had left a few months ago. A door was to her right which led to the on-suite bathroom. Pictures of her and Noah's family were on the wall in photo frames. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on his side table by the bed.

She hadn't touched it since he died, leaving it exactly the way he did. A silver chain bracelet left unhooked, the keys to his dad's old motorbike and a dark brown leather strap watch laid on the table. She picked the three items up placing them in the box to take with her. She took a couple of his shirts and packed all of her clothes. She packed all the photos in the room, figuring out where to put them in Alaric's apartment in her head. Ivy worked her way through the room, knowing that if she took a break she would stop completely.

* * *

A few hours later, Ivy fell onto the couch in exhaustion after finishing the packing. She looked around to see almost a bare bungalow except the furniture. She had done it! Willing herself to pack up her car and start the drive back in the morning. As she was packing up, she saw an old face through the bar window across the road. Ivy locked her car, skipping across the road to the dingy bar. She opened the door, immediately feeling the air thicken, missing the feel and sight of the place. As she neared the bar, her eyes were focused on the two figures behind it.

Lou and Mitch Larkin, the owners of the bar.

They had been married for 30 years and Ivy looked up to them aspiring to be that in love one day. The couple were in their mid to late 60s still rocking the tattoos they got in their youth. When Ivy would have too much to drink, she would ask Lou the story of how they met

The story took place in the very bar they were standing in during the 1960s. Mitch's parents had owned the bar before the couple. He had just turned 21 a few years before, so he was finally able to learn the ropes behind the bar. One night he spotted Lou come in with a bunch of girlfriends. He saw her straight away, she looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine. She had ordered a cranberry and vodka which was an easy drink to make so that wasn't going to impress her. Whilst reaching for the vodka bottle he decided he was going to flip it behind his back and catch it.

He didn't.

The bottle fell to the floor, smashing into pieces. He got proper telling off from his father, who didn't understand why he would do such a stupid thing. Mitch was too distracted by the girl leaving, believing he would never see her again. The next night Lou came back to see the young bartender, bringing a bottle of vodka with her. They laughed about the silly incident and spent the rest of the night talking. Ivy loved to hear the story over and over again because it fuelled the hopeless romantic in her and normally got Mitch to perform some tricks.

Ivy reached the bar, glad that the two figures were facing the other way chatting about the inventory. She smiled watching them get wound up as they discussed the inventory list. She quietly slid onto a stool trying not to alert the two. Placing her hands on the bar, she spied the couple for a beat before piping up.

"Can I have a cranberry and vodka? No funny business Mitch." The vampire asked the two aging bartenders. The couple spun around when they heard the familiar voice. The young girl who left in a flash due to a family emergency had returned.

"Ivy, you're back! Good to see you, girl!" Lou exclaimed, beaming at the young woman. She gave Ivy a loving pat on the hand, leaning on the bar to talk to the young woman.

Brooke and Lou had become good friends when Brooke and Ivy first moved here 20 years ago. The mother and 5-year-old daughter were running down the street trying to find shelter from the rain. Brooke was trying to look for a restaurant where her and Ivy could have dinner. Lou had just finished opening the awning at the front of the bar when she spotted the two. The older woman saw the shivering child clinging to her mother for warmth. Lou waved the two over and invited them into her bar. Brooke was hesitant at first when she saw the place but she needed to get her little one out the rain.

The duo had spent a couple hours at the bar. Lou and Mitch fawning over the little one giving her colouring and making her laugh. Brooke felt herself relax watching the young couple talk with her daughter. After that evening, they made it a weekly dinner date to go to the bar and see the couple.

"Good to see you too Lou." Ivy beamed at the older woman.

"Everything alright with the family emergency?" Mitch questioned the vampire, as he picked up a glass to dry. Lou took a couple steps back to get Ivy her normal drink; a shot of whiskey. Ivy's eyes sadly fell to look at her hands on the wooden bar. Lou saw sorrowful look and decided to pour the girl a double shot.

"No… My … My dad passed away." Ivy stated strongly, trying not to cry at saying the sentence out loud. Lou slid the small glass towards Ivy, grabbing the young girl's hand as she did. Mitch placed the glass away, slinging the towel he was using over his shoulder. He crossed his arms over his chest, using them to lean on the bar.

"I'm sorry to hear that, squirt." Mitch offered his condolences using the nickname he gave her when they first met.

"Thanks Mitch. I'm moving back there to help out with some stuff." Ivy said sadly. She drank the shot Lou had poured her. Cringing at the strong taste as she swallowed the liquid.

"You're leaving chick?" Lou asked, putting Ivy's used glass away as she watched the young girl nod. "If you think that's best then you do it. You need to feel close to him and grieve the best way for you. But you better come visit us old folk some time." Ivy chuckled at the silver haired woman.

"Yeah. You can give me a break from her" that had earned Mitch a small nudge from his wife. Mitch kissed her rosy wrinkled cheek in forgiveness. Ivy envied the love the two in front of her shared. She could easily watch the couple all day as they joked and laugh with each other.

For that night, that's what she did. She spent as much time as she could with them until closing when she knew she would have to say goodbye.

* * *

Ivy had finally made her way back to Mystic Falls. Before driving home, she decided to pay a visit to her father. She grabbed a bottle of cheap bourbon from a petrol station to help talk to her dad. On arrival, she found out she wasn't the only one to have the thought.

"They're floating lanterns in the sky, can you believe that? A Japanese lantern is the symbol of letting go of the past. Well, here's a news flash: we're not Japanese!" Damon took a swig out of the bourbon bottle hanging loosely from his fingers.

Ivy was pleasantly surprised to find the vampire here, talking to her dad's gravestone. She has come here almost every night since he passed and had not seen anyone else. It warmed her heart to find that she wasn't the only one missing Alaric. Ivy knew it was wrong to spy on such a personal moment, but she wanted to give Damon the time he needed to talk to her father. The redhead was careful not step on any twigs, that would alert the Salvatore of her presence.

"Do you know what they are? Children. Like lighting a candle is going to make everything okay. Or even saying a prayer or pretending Elena is not going to end up just like the rest of us murderous vampires. Stupid, delusional, exasperating, little children. I know what you're going to say: "It makes them feel better, Damon." So what?" Ivy held in a giggle at Damon's impression of Alaric. She smiled at him, glad she wasn't the only one to guess her comebacks. "For how long? A minute, a day? What differences does it make?" Damon rose form the stone bench, walking towards the grave stone whilst continuing to speak to it. "Because in the end, when you lose somebody; every candle, every prayer is not going to make up for the fact that the only thing that you have left is a hole in your life where that somebody that you cared about used to be. And a rock with a birthday carved into it that I'm pretty sure is wrong." Damon sat on the tombstone. "So, thanks, friend. Thanks for leaving me here to babysit, because I should have been long gone by now. I didn't get the girl, remember? I'm just stuck here fighting with my brother and taking care of the kids. You owe me big." Damon finished the bottle of bourbon, placing it on the tombstone as he got up. "You can come out now Lil Saltzman." Damon shouted into the darkness.

Ivy thought that she was being silent. "You knew I was here?" Ivy asked the older vampire in embarrassment.

"Your vintage engine isn't on the quiet side." Damon was slurring and wobbling as Ivy approached. "If you want to sneak up on me, try a Prius." Ivy sat on the stone bench looking up at Damon.

"I wouldn't be caught dead with one of those." Damon nodded in agreement as he fell beside the woman on the bench. "So, do you come here often?" Ivy rolled her eyes when Damon faced her with his signature smirk.

"Why Lil' Saltzman are you hitting on me? Trying to take advantage of me in my fragile state." His voice dripped with sarcasm. Ivy opened the bottle of alcohol to take a quick swig.

"You know what I meant, Damon." She offered him the drink but he passed, already feeling the effects of his own bottle. Damon's eyes went to the gravestone on the ground, his smirk dropping into a frown.

"What do you want me to say? That I miss him? That I miss my only friend?" Damon got up from his seat, stumbling in front of Ivy. His arms out by his sides in frustration. Ivy glanced at the vampire with sadness, never having seen Damon look so fragile and lost. "I lost my friend, I didn't get the girl. So what do I have?" Ivy downed a large quantity of alcohol at Damon's confession. She knew a way to help him but that meant being honest with herself and her crush's older brother. Ivy stood from the bench, stepping over her father's grave to get to Damon. Placing both of her hands on the top of his arms to get his attention and stop him pacing.

"What do you have?! You have me, okay? My dad wouldn't want me to let you go around causing trouble. And you know what? You're not the only one upset at Elena picking Stefan." Ivy stared into his sky blue eyes, up close they really were beautiful.

"My brother? You like Stefan?" Damon pushed Ivy off of him in frustration. "Of course because it's Stefan! Every girl swoons over Stefan Salvatore." Well now Ivy felt bad. Her intention was to make him feel like he wasn't alone but that completely backfired. Damon took a few steps backwards to steady himself. Ivy went to grab him again but didn't expect him to grab her as he fell backwards.

The two vampires landed on the leaf covered floor with a thud. Ivy placed her hands on either side of Damon's head so she could look at him. His eyes were closed not in pain from the fall but pain from never being an option. Unconsciously, her hand stroked his pale cheek, as if a mother was comforting a child.

"What I meant was..." Ivy's voice was soft, making Damon open his eyes to look at her. "You have me, whether you like it or not." Her hand dropped back to the dirt floor, rolling off the very firm vampire. "You lost one Saltzman and you gained another."

The two of them were staring up at the star filled sky, lying in the dirt and golden leaves on the ground. Ivy felt Damon's hand slowly move to grab hers. They stayed in silence, revelling in the peacefulness of the moment.

"Well, you need to drink a lot more." Damon obviously felt uncomfortable in silence.

"I'm sure I'll being drinking more, the more I hang out with you."

"Yeah, you'll most likely need it." The two started to chuckle as they bantered back and forth, not bothering to get up from the ground. Both unaware that Alaric Saltzman was watching them from the other side.

Smiling at the woman his daughter had become and the vampire just looking for a friend.


	15. Chapter 15: The Rager

**AN: I know this is a short one but I struggled with this episode. I have so many ideas for the coming episodes, I just have to get there first.**

 **Chapter 15: The Rager**

The door to Damon's room burst open hitting the wall with a bang as the two figures rushed in. The two vampires were locked in a passionate world of their own. Their lips attacking, hungry for the taste of each other. Her hands exploring every hard and defined muscle on his body.

Damon kicked the door close, pushing the female roughly against it. A small gasp escaped her lips at the sudden but desired action. His hands buried themselves into her ginger curled hair as he kissed down her fair skinned neck. In response to his lips caressing her skin, she arched, giving him more skin to attach. A moan emanated low in the back of Ivy's throat at Damon's assault.

 _Oh god!_

She didn't think going to visit her father's grave would have led to this.

Ivy's hands crawled over this shoulders to claw at the black shirt he was wearing. A desperate need to grab something in the ecstasy she was feeling. Damon fell against the other vampire at the grating sensation of her nails against his back. The redhead pushed them off the door, leading him backwards towards the bed. Before his lips could meet hers again, she pulled on his shirt. He smirked as her eyes drifted downwards, examining all of him. The muscles of his chest and abs were prominent against his pearl white skin.

Damon grabbed her face with both hands, crashing his lips against her full swollen ones. Ivy used her nails to scratch his taut stomach, feeling them contract at the new caress. A chuckle sounded from Damon, when her hands arrived at the destination of his black leather belt. In the meantime, Damon had ripped the plaid shirt she was wearing off her body. Leaving the redhead in just her jeans and crimson lace bra.

When his legs met the edge of the mattress, he sat down in response. Ivy climbed onto him, straddling Damon, not wanting to lose the heat she was feeling from his skin. Damon's hands fell from her cheeks to shoulders wear her bra straps lay. Taking one in each hand, he tugged them off her blades, leaving kisses as he went. Ivy felt bliss at the small caresses he left on her skin.

The redheaded vampire took her arms out of the straps, wrapping her arms back round Damon's neck. Her bra barely covering her chest in the moment of passion. She felt him grip her hips, his nails digging in with the need to go further. The two fell backwards to lay on the bed, never missing a beat. Ivy moaned his name unintentionally as his kisses took her breath away.

* * *

"Damon" she mumbled.

Ivy was writhing around on one of the velvet sofas in the parlour of the Salvatore Boarding House. Completely wrapped up in her dream, no idea the response her body was having in real life.

Damon had his eyes glued to the younger vampire, smirking at his manipulation. He had been waiting to do this to Ivy for a long time. When he first met her a few years ago, he saw her appeal. But like with a lot of people, they seemed to have developed this love hate relationship. He just had to wait until she was weak enough where he could get into her head and show her what she was missing.

"Leave her alone, Damon" Stefan demanded as he came in from the kitchen. Sipping on a glass of water before going back outside to work on his motorcycle.

"Oh don't tell me you're jealous, little brother. Wish it was your name she was moaning?" Damon stated, eyes not moving from his subject. He took note of Stefan's silence in answer to his question. The blue eyed vampire rolled his eyes in defeat, Stefan had ruined his fun. "Fine. Have it your way."

Ivy's eyes open to a smug Damon and an irritated Stefan in the next room. Looking at Damon, she could feel the temperature of her cheeks rise. Her mind going to the position they were just in.

"Good dream?" Uh oh. Did she say his name? Was she moaning? Ivy ran her hand through her hair, feeling the layer of sweat. Damon's smirk got more obnoxious as she realised that he had got into her head.

"Oh!" She growled, launching herself at him. She jumped on top of him, her hands swatting every part of him she could reach.

"Damon! Damon!" Damon teased her as she continued her assault.

Stefan watched the two, who he thought hated each other, play fight on one of the sofas in the next room. He had been so focused on helping Elena that he hadn't realised the two had got closer. His eyes went to the smiles on both of their faces. He hadn't had fun in a while either. The brooding vampire made his way back out to his motorbike, determined to have some fun today.

* * *

Whilst in her dad's apartment, unpacking some boxes, she received a phone call from Damon. He told her to meet at a trailer in the woods. If it was any other people she would think it was creepy. But this was Damon, so he probably had got himself into some kind of trouble.

That's how she found herself wandering around the woods for looking for the location. She regretted not asking Damon more information, believing a trailer would stick out. After 20 minutes, she finally found the trailer that he had described.

 _Please don't be a trap_ , she thought as her fingers flipped the handle up to open the door.

When she entered, Ivy almost walked straight into Damon. The vampire was standing very still near the entryway. The table in the trailer was littered with bits of paper and had a small desk lamp so whoever could read in the dark. There were beakers and tubes set up above the hob of the cooker. The type of set up a laboratory would use for experiments. So Damon had definitely got himself into some trouble

"Hey bestie, why so cryptic?" Ivy asked as she peered around the trailer, trying to decipher what she got herself into. Her sunny tone already annoying the frustrated vampire.

"Don't make me regret calling you." Damon groaned in response to Ivy's chirpy attitude. "Just come in and close the door." Ivy followed Damon's demands. As she closed the door, moving closer to Damon and trying to forget the dream she had, she noticed the clay more.

"Tell me that is not a bomb" Ivy stared at the clay more in the corner.

"Okay. It's a kitten. It's an adorable, exploding kitten."

"Why didn't you call Stefan?" The redhead exclaimed. Starting to freak out about the explosive in the small vicinity.

"Because I'm proud, and stubborn, and... oh, look! You're already here." Ivy glared at the back of his head. She moved her head to see why Damon hadn't moved. Her eyes followed the string attached to the bomb to an arrow embedded in Damon's shoulder. "Come on, you're not gonna get hurt. All I need you to do is be kind and cut out the arrow. I'd do it myself, but if I move…" Damon gently touched the arrow buried in his shoulder to demonstrate.

"Don't! I get it. Salvatore goes Boom!" Ivy looked around to see what could help with the extraction. Spotting a knife lying on the nearby table, she grinned slightly. "Any excuse to torture you."

"Just do it!" Damon groaned in frustration. Ivy grabbed the knife, placing the end next to the entry wound of the arrow. The tip of the arrow was currently pointing straight at her. She took a deep breath before she started to cut around the arrow. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Damon's arm move to pick up one of the pieces of paper.

"That crazy Pastor Young wrote a little about sacrifice and war brewing in Mystic Falls." Damon moved the letter up so Ivy could skim read while she worked.

"What does he mean, "a greater evil is coming"? Don't we have a great enough evil already?" Ivy asked Damon as she continued to use the knife to dig out the arrow.

"You'd think." Damon's phone rang. He looked at the screen to see Elena calling and decided to ignore the call. In her peripheral vision, Ivy noticed the response but decided not to say anything.

"So who's trailer is this anyway?" Ivy felt sorry for the man in front of her. He desired to be with Elena but couldn't because she chose his brother. How does he even act around her now without showing that his heart was breaking? It was history repeating itself and he still came out second best.

"Remember that hunter I told you about that shot Tyler at the funeral?" Damon felt Ivy freeze as she realised the death trap they were standing in. The trailer was sure to have more booby traps for the intruders.

The knife started to pierce into his skin again, as Ivy tried not to show her fear.

"How did you get stuck on hunter duty?"

"Stefan had a Physics test." Damon stated sarcastically which Ivy saw through straight away. The two of them had been getting closer lately due to the common loss of Alaric. Ivy was surprised to find out she was more alike to the Salvatore brother than she thought.

"You are a good brother."

"I'm the bad brother." The blue-eyed vampire smirked to the redhead over his shoulder.

"You're strung up to a bomb while Stefan plays vampire with the girl who broke your heart. But, you're doing a very good job of acting like it doesn't suck. When it's probably tearing you up inside."

"Sounds like I'm not the only one." Ivy ignored Damon as she finished prying out the arrow as much as she could without the bomb exploding.

"Okay, I think that should do it." Damon yanked the arrow in one swift motion and dropped it on the table as if it burnt him.

* * *

Ivy fell onto her father's sofa after finishing unpacking the boxes from Florida. She looked round to see a seamless combination of both of her lives. Ornaments she had brought from Florida worked with her father's aesthetic. The little bungalow was her dream house but she felt more at home in her dad's apartment.

As she sat and contemplated her life, her hand had unconsciously grabbed the ring around her neck. A whisper of her nails connecting with the silver of her ring as she played with it between her fingers. Thoughts of feeling it was time to put it in a safe place, invaded her mind. The chapter of her life in Florida was still ajar due to the ring. She was scared that she would forget Noah, but knew deep down she never could. He hadn't been in her mind every day because she had been healing and that's what she needed to do.

Her feet started to move towards the bedroom, heading towards the wooden nightstand. When she opened the draw, she spotted her dad's wedding band in there too. Taking off the necklace, believing his ring was a sign that she was doing the right thing. The silver ring was placed next to the wedding band, a sign of moving on for the both of them. The draw closed with a soft thud.

Ivy spun around swiftly, inspecting the empty bedroom behind her. Slightly freaked out at the cold touch that had appeared on her shoulder. The sensation had vanished in a second but she sure she had felt something. She wondered if… No… It couldn't of been...

The sound of her phone ringing cut off her train of thought. Looking at the screen she saw it was Stefan calling. She waited a beat before answering.

"Hey Stefan" She tried to sound normal and not happy that he was calling her.

"Hey, are you busy right now?" There was something in Stefan's voice that worried her.

"No, just finished unpacking some stuff. What's up?"

"Could you come over for a drink?"

"Uh… Yeah sure. I'll be there in a bit."

"Okay, see you then." When he hung up the phone, Ivy made her way to the door, grabbing her leather jacket and keys on the way. The Mystic Falls square was dimly lit as dusk rolled in and the lights hadn't come on yet. She decided just to run to the house and not waste any petrol in driving.

When she entered the boarding house, she saw that she wasn't the only one Stefan had invited. Caroline was sitting next to Stefan in the parlour, both with a drink in their hands, which couldn't be good. Caroline straightened when she Ivy walk through the door.

"Hey guys." The redhead sat on the opposite velvet sofa, not wanting to crowd Stefan. The two women smiled at each other in greeting. She took the time to look at him. The frown lines on his forehead were deepening as he brooded into his crystal tumbler. Darks bags were apparent under his eyes, meaning he wasn't sleeping. His smooth skin was pale which meant he wasn't feeding either.

"Hey. Thanks for coming." Stefan smiled at the two women in the room, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Not every day I get summoned by a Salvatore. So, what's up?" Caroline said making Ivy chuckle.

"Do you remember what you were like before you turned?" Stefan sighed, his elbows resting on his knees with the glass just under his chin. Ivy and Caroline's eyes met at the question.

"You mean an insecure control freak?" Stefan laughed at Caroline's honesty.

"Yeah, I was basically a less confident version of what you see now." Ivy grimaced at the mere thought of her former self. "You both grew into yourselves when you became a vampire. You changed. And Elena, she's changing too, and I want her to be able to enjoy it, without all the guilt and shame that I went through. And there was a moment today when she did. And when I'm with her, every bone in my body tells me to join her. To enjoy it." Ivy's eyes fell to her feet, firmly planted on the carpeted floor, not wanting to hear how Elena makes Stefan feel. "But, I know that if I do, even a little, I risk becoming him...the Ripper. I love her, and I don't want to hold her back." He took a small sip of his drink as his eyes wandered over to the redhead opposite. He had noticed that whenever he spoke about Elena, she would become quiet. It was unlike Ivy to ever shy away and retreat back into herself. He wasn't used to this version of her as it was parallel to her usual self.

"But you don't know how to be around her and still resist that urge." Ivy spoke quietly as Caroline agreed with the older woman.

"Damon promised he'd help me stay off the edge, but he and I...we're not in a very good place right now. Not when it comes to her. I just thought, you're so good at it, at being a vampire" He looked at Caroline when he spoke. "And Ivy, you've said that you have felt something familiar, that I thought we could help each other?" Ivy met Stefan's big pleading hazel eyes.

 _Is he seriously giving me the puppy dog look? How can I say no to that?_

"Because of you, Stefan. I'm good at it because of you. Come to me, whenever you want, and I won't let you lose control." Caroline spoke softly to Stefan agreeing to help him wherever she could.

"Yeah..." Ivy smiled at the two vampires opposite her. "We won't let that ripper come back."

How was she supposed to get rid of her feelings for Stefan if she was going to be spending more time with him? She smiled at the two of them but internally she was cursing herself and her luck.


	16. Chapter 16: The Killer

**AN: Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I know my writing isn't great and I'm sorry for that but it's getting better. Please review and let me know how you're feeling about the story**

 **Chapter 16: The Killer**

Ivy had been staying at her dad's for the last few nights, for many reasons. One being that it allowed her to grieve alone and in her own way, so she wasn't judged. Another was now that Stelena were back together, he would be visiting Elena a lot more. She didn't want to be around them when they were acting 'coupley'. It made her insanely jealous.

But, last night she had decided to stay at the Gilbert's to keep an eye on Jeremy more than anything. She knew he was struggling with the supernatural intrusion into his life. Now more than ever, now his sister was a vampire. The two of them stayed up late playing video games, not talking about any of the problems in the town. Ivy just wanted him to feel like a normal teenager again.

When Ivy had woken up the next day, Elena had already left with Stefan and Jeremy had gone to The Grill for his shift. The kitchen was a mess with grains of cereal across the countertop and bowls in the sink. Ivy decided to clean the house after the teenagers, starting to feel like their maid. As she was cleaning the kitchen, she found Jeremy's keys under a fallen box of cereal. That boy would lose his head if it wasn't attached to his body. Pocketing the keys, she made her way to the front door to drop them off at The Grill for the young man. She hopped in her car making a mental shopping list to get after visiting Jeremy.

* * *

The mustang's growl silenced as Ivy arrived outside The Mystic Grill. She walked up to the entrance expecting it to be closed but was surprised to find it unlocked. She reached for the door hesitantly as her anxiety grew, worrying that Jeremy was in danger.

But he wasn't.

The young man had his back to her, washing some dirty dishes from the night before. Upon hearing her little boots hit the wooden floor, he turned round to see his guardian. Jeremy was about to ask her what she was doing here, when she pulled his keys from her pocket and dropped them on the bar.

"Thought you might need these" Ivy teased the forgetful man. His eyes closed in relief that at least someone in the Gilbert house was paying attention. Jeremy pocketed the keys, before picking up a bin of dirty dishes.

"Thanks Ivy! I'll see you back at home?" He asked the redhead hopefully, wanting to restore some normalcy into his life. She nodded with a smile on her face as he disappeared in the back room with the dishes.

She turned round to make her way out the door when she remembered that she was going shopping. Ivy sat on an empty stool to wait for Jeremy to see if he needed anything from the store. The clatter of china against china let her know he was busy and she didn't want to interrupt. She had been very impressed with his recent work ethic and making a regular routine of going to work. The young man craved a normal life more than anything.

Suddenly a dark hand came from behind her, forcing vervain into her mouth. She could hear sizzling in her ears as it reacted with her vampire body. The hand clasped her chin so she was unable to spit the herb out or warn Jeremy about the danger. Panicked started to rise within in as her mouth and throat became raw. Tears were pooling in her eyes at the anguish she was experiencing. Ivy groaned loudly trying to make any sound that would reach Jeremy's ears. A blinding pain began between her ribs as the assailant pierced a long nail through her flesh. The metal grinded against her ribs with every movement as she struggled against the man.

The hand let go of her, causing Ivy to fall against the floor of The Grill in weakness. The vervain was spat from her burning mouth, still unable to make any sound. Her eyes peered upwards to see dark orbs of the vampire hunter looking down at her. She felt inferior to the man as he loomed over her, bending down to her height. His gloved hand grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"You're lucky you're not the one I'm here for" Connor stated menacingly at the redhead. The hand at the back of her neck moved to wrap round her throat. The hunter had immense strength that she didn't expect as he squeezed against her airway. Ivy knew that she was going to survive strangulation but the loss of oxygen, still scared her. Connor used his hand to throw her head against the hard wooden floor. The sound of her head hitting the floor echoed around the room. The move caused the feeble material to crack under his power.

The vampire hunter stood up looking at the weak unconscious vampire on the floor.

"Pathetic" he mumbled, grabbing Ivy under the armpits to move her round the bar. He dropped her like a sack of potatoes, then proceeded to make his way to the back room to find his target.

* * *

"Wakey wakey"

She felt someone pick her up and discard her on the top of a table in The Grill. A scream erupted from her still raw throat as that someone ripped the bloody nail from her torso. She felt relief that the alien material was finally removed from her body but the pain was still immense. She wanted to cry, scream and punch something all at the same time. Angry that this hunter had got the better of her and made her feel weak. Her body began to slowly heal itself, now the nail was out.

"Ivy?" _That was Matt's voice._

The redhead cracked open her eyes to see Jeremy and Matt hovering over her. The two boys were both assessing the injuries across her body, being careful not to hurt her. The feel of Matt's hand stroking her arm was her only comfort right now. Her hearing started to return, she could hear crying. Her blue orbs travelled to a crying brunette sitting at another table.

"What did he do to you?" Jeremy asked the vampire, who he helped sit up on the table. She leant her head on Matt's shoulder, needing the support to sit up.

"He…" her voice was barely a whisper. She felt the wall of her throat contract as she tried to speak, adding to her agony. She stopped to compose her voice, her hand rubbing her neck. "Vervain" Ivy managed to croak out.

"He's clearly delusional. I mean, right? All this – all this talk about vampires, but I mean, he mentioned my dad." The brunette sobbed hysterically at the table next to them. Clearly missing the fact that there was an injured vampire on the table adjacent.

"Hey, this guy's a nut job, okay? Don't let him get in your head, April" Matt tried to comfort April as best he could.

"What if he knows something? Jeremy, did he say anything to you about why he's doing this?" April looked to Jeremy questioningly. The young man turned to Ivy, who was still nursing her wound on the table, silently asking her what to say. She shrugged in response as it seemed like April didn't have a clue about the supernatural.

"I don't know. Maybe." Ivy went to touch Jeremy's arm, seeing the anger burn in his eyes. Jeremy shrugged her off. "Maybe I just can't remember." He stood up to approach the vampire hunter who was standing by the bar pouring a green liquid into a glass jar. Creating a bomb ready for the visitors they were about to have. "You said we had a conversation yesterday." Connor nodded in response, his focus on the anti-vampire bombs he was mixing. "About what?"

"We'll get into that. First, take a look at my handy work. Pick up some tips from the hunter's trade."

"What is all that?" Jeremy looked at the big mason jars filled with nails and the green liquid. Enough to cover all the entrances so none of the vampires could enter or escape.

"The fluid is derived from werewolf toxin. Trip the wire, bomb goes off, nails deliver a lethal dose into the bloodstream." Ivy straightened up after hearing she was in the vicinity of the deadly toxin. She had learnt about werewolf toxin during her 'friendship' days with Katherine. The brunette would talk for hours about Klaus, his hybrid status and the damage a werewolf bite could do. The redhead understood that once the toxin goes into your bloodstream, you're screwed. There was no cure that she knew of.

"And what's the point? What do you get out of all this?" Jeremy kept asking the hunter questions, Ivy hoped he was forming some kind of plan.

"You know, I used to think that there was no 'get'; that I was just supposed to kill vampires. That was until I realized that the mark held the answer to why I'm the way I am. The more I kill, the more it grows and once it's complete, I'll know my story and – and all of this will have meant something." Connor turned to Matt and April, who were huddled around the table next to Ivy "Hey! We're gonna have visitors soon, you two get in the back." He stormed over to the two humans "Get up! Move!" His voice boomed in the empty restaurant.

April stood up, tears pouring down her cheeks. Matt followed suit, grabbing April by the shoulders gently to let her know he was there.

"Before you think about any other exits, I got every door rigged. Got it?" Connor threatened them, hoping to get his point across. Ivy and Jeremy watched helplessly as Matt lead April to the back of The Grill.

"What about us?" Jeremy asked, standing in front of the injured redhead.

"Telling you would spoil the fun wouldn't it?" He lifted up a stake, pointing it in the direction of Ivy. "You're lucky I haven't killed you yet, but I have plans for you. If Jeremy being a hostage doesn't work, you sure will."

"How did you know?" Ivy croaked out, not understanding how the hunter could know she was a vampire.

"You're not as clever as you think " He chuckled as if the answer was obvious. He went back to rigging the rest of the bombs, ready for the vampire heroes to save the day.

* * *

A few minutes later the phone to the bar rang. Jeremy walked over to answer when Connor grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"We're closed" Connor sternly answered the call.

"I want you to free the hostages." Ivy felt relief when she heard Stefan's voice on the other end of the call.

"I'll free them as soon as you give me what I want. You and everyone like you dead." Ivy unknowingly made her way over to Jeremy. Just in case this was a distraction tactic and a vampire entered, triggering a bomb. Her vampire skin could easily take the shrapnel and save Jeremy from harm

"What? So your hunter's mark can grow?" Connor was silent. Ivy smirked as it appeared that Stefan had played Connor at his own game. Ivy had no idea what Stefan was talking about but knew he had caught out Connor. "Yeah, I know all about that. What it means, what you are." Ivy heard metal clanging together on the other side of the phone call, hoping he was helping them escape. "Listen, if you free the hostages then you and I can have a little chat. I'll even tell you about the Brotherhood of the Five."

"That's a weak move. You must be desperate." Connor scoffed.

"Think about it, Connor. Klaus saved your life. He needs you alive. Aren't you the least bit curious why?" Ivy was confused why Klaus was being brought into this. Connor slammed the phone down on the receiver in response. Plastic parts of the phone went flying as the hunter's strength broke the device. He pushed the phone off the bar in frustration and walked away.

Ivy moved herself and Jeremy away from any of the entrances. Her hearing had picked up movement outside. Currently listening to a phone call between someone and Klaus. She wanted to communicate the news to Jeremy but her voice was still raw. Whilst keeping an eye on the dangerous hunter, she pulled at her phone and typed a quick message. Jeremy felt the redhead nudge him, nodding to the phone in her hands.

 _Stefan is coming. Klaus wants Connor alive._

Jeremy looked at Ivy in confused. She rolled her eyes, tapping her ears to signal her vampire hearing.

The duo saw Connor finish setting up the venom bomb, Jeremy went to approach him but was stopped by Ivy.

"They're not all bad, you know. Some of them, they're my friends." Jeremy spoke to Connor.

"Your friends, huh? Yeah, I had a friend like that once. She got turned by this vampire I was hunting. He thought it would be ironic."

"What happened to her?"

"I didn't want to hurt her. She promised that she would keep it under control, but...a vampire's like a loaded gun." Ivy bowed her head in shame. She agreed with everything he was saying. "Eventually it's gonna go off." Connor rolled up his sleeve showing Jeremy the tattoo on his arm. "That's why I got this"

"So, you killed your own friend?!" Jeremy exclaimed towards the hunter. Jeremy understood the dislike towards vampires but he could never kill a friend.

"Listen, if you're gonna be like me, you need to understand. Vampires kill humans, hunters kill vampires."

All three of their heads turned to the front entrance. It seemed as if one of Klaus's goons was attempting to break in and free the hostages.

"We've got company." Connor turned off the lights in the bar and turned up some music very loud to hide his location. He grabbed Jeremy and pushed him down to the floor for protection. Ivy fell to the floor near the young man, wanting to defend him if anything went wrong.

There was silence for a few minutes.

BOOM!

The werewolf bomb exploded, sending one of Klaus's hybrids soaring through the air. Ivy peaked over a table she was hidden behind, wanting to see the damage that had been caused. The hybrid stood up, covered in nails, blood and shards of glass. The werewolf venom well and truly in his bloodstream now. The young man was as good as dead.

Connor stood up in a flash, pointing his gun at the damaged hybrid. Klaus's goon raised his hand in the surrender but that didn't stop Connor blowing a hole clean through his chest. Ivy watched in horror as he fell to the floor, dead. The vampire hunter took off his jacket, looking at his arm in glee. Ivy glanced to Jeremy in confusion who was also staring wide eyed at the Connor's arm.

The hunter noticed Stefan in the corner of his eye, pulling Jeremy towards him as a shield. The hunter raised his gun to shoot Stefan, who had vamped behind the bar anticipating the move. The ear-splitting sound of the gun going off made Ivy jump in surprise as she watched the scene unfold. Connor pushed Jeremy aside, a ticking noise began as he did. Ivy saw a small flashing light underneath Jeremy's feet. He had stepped on a pressure-sensitive mat attached to a bomb.

"Connor, you don't have to do this!" Stefan shouted, still hiding behind the bar.

"Stefan!" Jeremy screamed in panic, realising where he had stepped. "Ivy!" Jeremy turned to the redhead before him. Fear evident in his eyes. Ivy saw movement out of the corner of her eye, as Stefan momentarily jumped up at the sound of her name. Stefan dived back behind the bar as Connor resumed shooting the gun in his direction.

"Connor, we can end this right now! Just put down the gun and come with me!"

"Sure. Come out, I'll hand the gun over."

Ivy wasn't paying attention to the conversation between the hunter and Stefan. Her full attention was on the scared vulnerable Gilbert in front of her. She edged closer to him, believing that she could take his place on the mat if needed. She would be able to use her vampire speed to get away. Then she heard the one voice that would hinder her progress.

"Please!" Elena pleaded with Connor. The hunter turned to point his gun at Elena, not knowing that Elena was one of them. "Don't hurt him." Ivy widened her eyes at Elena's attempt. She knew that Elena just wanted to save her brother from harm but by doing this, put them all in danger. Stefan and Ivy had it all under control but throwing a new vampire into the mix, it was going to get messy.

"Elena, what are you doing here?!" Ivy questioned the brunette's common sense at this point. In response, Connor pointed his gun back at Jeremy.

"You come any closer, he's dead."

"He's the only family that I have left. Just – just let him go." Elena tried to plead once again. Ivy was now standing in front of Jeremy, ready to take his place on the pressure pad.

"You hear that? Your girl is watching. I will shoot the boy right in front of her! On the count of three! One! Two!" Stefan stood up and raised his hands in surrender.

Connor pointed the gun at him instead, ready to kill the young Salvatore. Without warning, Elena rushed at Connor, throwing him to the ground. In reaction Connor pulled the trigger on the gun, shooting Jeremy in the stomach. Jeremy's body was thrown backwards from the shot. Causing him to step off the pressure-sensitive mat in the process. Instinctively Ivy stepped towards Jeremy to help him. Her foot treading onto the mat and defusing the bomb for now. Her blue eyes widened in horror at Jeremy bleeding on the floor. The precious red liquid flowing from his body and onto the floor, just inches away from her. She could reach out and run her fingers through the juice. But she couldn't do it.

This was Jeremy, he was like a little brother to her. Shaking her head to get rid of the thoughts, Ivy slowly lowered herself to the ground. She managed to sit on the mat, keeping the bomb at bay. Reaching forward to grab Jeremy and pull him towards her. His head lay on her lap as she bit into her wrist to give him some blood.

The two of them heard a whoosh sound and a blur of colour sped past them. Ivy gazed around the room, searching for Connor and Stefan but they were nowhere to be seen. The redhead removed her wrist from Jeremy's mouth as it appeared he had totally healed.

Elena frantically ran over to check on her brother. Her eyes immediately going to the pool of blood around him. Ivy watched her eyes change to red with hunger, backing away to protect her little brother.

"I'm sorry – I…" Elena turned away from her brother, not wanting him to see her like this. Jeremy slowly stood up with Ivy's help, he stepped closer to his sister.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to hide it. I know you're not going to hurt me."

"How did this happen, Jer? Why did Connor come after you?" Elena continued speaking with her back to Jeremy, not wanting to see the blood tattooed on his skin.

"He said I was like him, because I could see his tattoo."

"His what?" Ivy asked the younger man.

 _So that's what was on his arm._

"His hunter's mark. It's invisible to everyone but me. Stefan and Damon didn't tell you about it?"

"No. Wait – wait, who else knows about this?" Elena demanded, turning around to face her brother. Ivy was standing behind Jeremy worrying about the young vampire. She could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. The brunette forgetting that her anger would be heightened to rage in her new vampire state.

"Well, that's the thing, I don't even know. Apparently, I was with Connor all day yesterday, but I can't remember. Someone compelled me"

"I think I know who." Elena began to storm away from the two when she remembered her vulnerable brother.

"You go; I'll stay with him." Ivy reassured the older Gilbert.

"Thank you and thank you for saving him." Elena walked forward to hug the redhead but remembered the bomb she was standing on. She paused to look at Ivy, scared for her friend who put her life at risk for her younger brother.

"It's my job." Elena was gone in a flash, Jeremy and Ivy left alone in The Grill. "You ready to get out of here?" Jeremy nodded at Ivy's questioned.

The redhead counted to three in her head before stepping off the pressure sensitive mat. She vamped out of The Grill, grabbing Jeremy as she did. The two were able to get to the town square ahead of the exploding bomb. When she stopped running, the rush went straight to her head. Luckily, Jeremy was there to catch her.

"You alright Ives? You look a little pale." Jeremy's tone was one of concern as he finally took in Ivy's appearance. Dark bags were evident under her eyes contrasting against the sickly grey hue of her skin. The blood by her ribs had now dried on her shirt but she still looked in pain. The redhead's posture was hunched over after the torture she had experienced.

"Yeah, I think I just need to go lie down. I think I'll stay at my dad's tonight." Jeremy nodded, taking a step forward to walk the young vampire home. Ivy stopped him, getting out the hold he had on her. "You okay getting yourself home?" Ivy asked Jeremy, who chuckled in response.

"I'm almost 18, I think I'll be alright."

"Hey! Let me worry about you, okay?" Ivy smiled at Jeremy, giving him a slight push towards Matt and April sat in the centre of town. Jeremy returned the smile, hesitant on leaving Ivy at her dad's. He made a mental note to check on her tomorrow.

* * *

When Ivy finally got up to the front door of the apartment, she was out of breath. She felt like she had just climbed a million steps when in reality it was only 3 floors. A light sweat had developed on her pale skin, causing her clothes to cling to her body. She struggled to get the key into the lock as her hands shook vigorously. Ivy placed her other hand flat on the wooden door to steady herself. Finally, she was able enter the apartment and see what was going on.

The keys clanged against the floor when she dropped them, not caring where they landed. She stripped herself of all the layers on her upper body until she was standing in her bra and a pair of jeans.

The walk to her bathroom seemed to take minutes, swaying with each step she took. She leant on the sink, enjoying the cold porcelain against her clammy palms. A small gasped escaped her lips when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her once tan freckled skin had now become dull and ashen. The normally voluminous red curls were lifeless, sticking to her shiny forehead. She looked as she felt; weak.

Her sluggish eyes glanced to the wound on her ribs where the nail had gone in. It wasn't healing. In fact, it had gotten worse. The small injury was now bruised with dark black vein surrounding the entry hole. Oozing with a thick mixture of blood and pus that she had not seen before.

Using a piece of toilet paper, she gently wiped the wound clean but more oozed out. At her gentle touch, the stab wound was tender and soared through her nervous system.

Glancing at the paper in front of her, she knew exactly what had happened. A green jelly liquid was bright compared to white paper it sat on. The hunter had covered the nail in the werewolf toxin before stabbing her with it. The werewolf toxin had gotten into her bloodstream.

She was doomed.

She was dying.


End file.
